PATRIOTIC FUNDS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 149, 26 June 1944, Page 4

PATRIOTIC FUNDS

TELEPHONE APPEAL

TOTAL OVER £74,000

Promises to contribute in the aggregate a sum exceeding, £74,000 were made by subscribers to the combined national telephone and radio appeal for patriotic funds on Saturday night. The promised contributions also included two cows. Of the eleven provinces into which the Dominion is divided for patriotic purposes, Auckland, with its greater population, easily topped the list. At midnight the Auckland total was £21,123 17s 6d, but at that time contributions were still being received. On a population basis, Nelson, Hawke's Bay, West Coast, and Otago contributed most generously. The Wellington total was £8541. "It is a very good result indeed, said the secretary of the National Patriotic Fund Board, Mr. G. A. Hayden, last night. "I cannot understand the East Coast figures, but I think that some of the contributions from that area must have been included in the Hawke's Bay total." Mr. Hayden paid a tribute to voluntary workers in the telephone branch of the post offices throughout the Dominion and those in broadcasting studios, who, he said, had remained at their posts till donations ceased coming in. • . Provincial totals to midnight, when the national hook-up was terminated, were as follows: — ' £ Auckland 21,123 • Otago ...- 13,702 Wellington 8,541 Canterbury 8,011 Hawke's Bay ......... 6,881 Nelson 5,692 Taranaki 3,780 Southland 3,208 West Coast 1,597 Marlborough 1,071 East Coast 703 OPENING OF APPEAL. The appeal was opened at 6.45 p.m. on Saturday by the Governor-General, Sir Cyril Newall, and during the evening messages from Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg, V.C., and others were also broadcast. As chairman of the National Patriotic Fund Board, his Excellency explained the working of the board and the eleven provincial patriotic councils, and the delegation by the board of certain activities to organisations such as the V.M.C.A., Salvation Army, Church Army, and others particularly fitted to carry out that work. With the exception of the food parcels for the prisoners of war, the cost of- which was borne by ''the Government, the funds used by these organisations or agents of the board for their war work, said his Excellency, were provided from the response of the people to the patriotic all-purposes appeals, and not from any other source. "The men who are served from patriotic funds," continued his Excellency, "have for nearly five years been standing between us and the enemy during the darkest days in our history. The picture is now changing and the horizon grows steadily more bright. Our men overseas, however, have to carry on to the bitter end, and I am sure the people of New- Zealand stand behind them in this the fifth year of the war. Men from New Zealand are scattered throughout the world, undertaking dangerous work, and a very considerable organisation is necessary to -ensure, so far as is possible, that contact is maintained with them from time to time. This work could not be carried out by small individual societies>because of its complexity." In commending the telephone appeal to the patriotism and generosity of the people, his Excellency added that the patriotic work could not go on without the support of every man, woman, and child in the Dominion. GENERAL FREYBERG'S MESSAGE. The following message from General Freyberg was read: "When I was in New Zealand just one year ago I told all meetings arranged for me to address how much we owed to the National Patriotic Fund. Another year has passed and our debt to the Patriotic Fund is greater still. Needless to say, the continued generosity of the people of New Zealand who have contributed to the fund and make up our parcels is deeply appreciated by us all. Thank you again on behalf of all ranks for all you have done during the last four and a half years. During all this time I have never been short of help at any time, and our men as a result are amongst the best cared for troops of the Allies. This help has meant a great deal to me as their commander. Good luck to you in your appeal." \ A message from Major-General H. E. Barrowclough, G.0.C., Third New Zealand Division in the Pacific, stated that it was his very great pleasure to express on behalf of his Division their very grateful thanks for the assistance that had been given in the past, and to assure all contributors to the funds that the amounts they had subscribed and might hereafter subscribe were well and wisely spent. Messages were also broadcast from Commodore Sir Atwell Lake, R.N., Chief of the Naval Staff, and Air Commodore W. Buckley, Air Officer Commanding, No. 1 Island Group, R.N.Z.A.F.