COUPONS.

Evening Star, Issue 16515, 29 August 1917, Page 4

COUPONS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In view of the discussion that has 'been going on in regard to Y.M.C.A. coupons for the front, I ask leave to publish tbo subjoined, which I extracted from a Selkirk paper to hand by to-day's mail: " The idea ventilated from France to send Y.M.C.A. coupons instead of parcels to the Selkirk boys has had ,many a. hard knock. It may, in certain aircuiK«t&nc«B, be resuscitated —such, for Instance, as Germany is now experiencing, and which are compelling her to send money in place of parcels to her prisoners of war in Britain; but at present it ha; got a knock-out. One of the let tors recently received from Franco deals with the issue thus: I cannot conceive what sort of mind the person who suggested the wonderful scheme of conporiis ie possessed of. Ho must bo hopelessly ignorant of the conditions under which tha great majority of the men who receh~e the parcels have to carry on their work. My own position at present is typical of many. Wa have been for several weeks bivouacked ia places Where there are no civil inhabitants, a,n& into which the Y.M.C.A. has not penetrated. Wo have a few canteens, which fire usually in a chrunie state of being sold out, eo you can quite understand with what pleasure a parcel of good things from lioni© is received. * Quito so. Tho coupon idea does not commend itself to Tommy either in France, in Salonika, in tl» desert, or anywhere "elso. Therefore, wo must conclude that to the bulk of the men tho parcel is the thing. It combines the sentimental link with utility." I am, etc., ou> Seikibe Lad. August 29.