COLLEGE GIRLS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 44, 20 August 1940, Page 12

COLLEGE GIRLS

PATRIOTIC EFFORT REGULAR CONTRIBUTIONS College girls in Wellington continue to help splendidly in the patriotic effort. From time to time the girls at Wellington College, Wellington East College, and the Wellington Technical College have undertaken the making of hussifs and other articles for which urgent orders have been received' by the National Patriotic Fund Board. This, however, is but a small part of the service they are giving, for they are doing a great deal of work voluntarily, knitting and sewing and using materials the schools have bought with funds the girls have raised by various means. On the day the colleges broke up last week for the term holidays three Wellington College girls called on Mr. G. A. Hayden, secretary of the National Patriotic Fund Board, with five large brown-paper parcels containing new and second-hand clothing for the Lady Galway Patriotic Guild. Having delivered their parcels, they at once inquired if there was any wool available for them to do some more knitting I for the Navy. They said they' were particularly keen to get some wool for the girls at the college before: break-ing-up time so that they would be able to knit during the holidays. They explained that their school funds and stocks of wool had run out. Wool of the kind required , for knitted comforts is not easy to get at present. Inquiries were made at the board's goods depot and it was found that there was only a negligible amount of navy wool in stock there. Then one of the girls had an idea. If there was no navy wool available, what about other wools? she asked. Would it matter if other coloured wools were used to knit articles for the men on the mine-sweepers? The girls were so obviously keen to be employing their time during the holidays doing knitting that Mr. Hayden at once went with them to the board's depot to look for wool. ' Girls from the Wellington East College arrived in a taxi at the board's offices in Mercer Street the previous day bringing with theni. a case of goods. There were five scarves, one pair of socks, and six pairs of mittens for the Navy, 157 hussifs, 14 balaclavas, four pairs of gloves, and 10 pairs. of mittens for the Army, and 11 balaclavas j and 30 pairs of mittens for the Air Force,! hot-water bag covers for the Army hospital, as well as some clothing for refugee children or English girls.

One of the Wellington College girls on Friday explained how the > school had been divided into four groups, each doing specified work. Various drives had been held to collect* funds and that, day newspapers were being disposed of to raise more money to buy materials. She said that when wool was given out on a Friday very often

the knitted articles were brought back to school on the following Monday. From the wonderful collection of goods being received regularly it is plain that there are thousands of mothers and daughters throughout the country imbued with this fine spirit of service. Their one regret seems to be that-they cannot get enough wool. If they could, there is no doubt that their output would be even greater than the present splendid amount.