FOOD FOR BRITAIN

Evening Star, Issue 25770, 17 April 1946, Page 8

FOOD FOR BRITAIN

ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPOTS FIGURES FOR FIRST PERIOD Meat coupons to the number of 13,640 were saved in the Dunedin district for the period ended April 14 as a result of the Famine Emergency Campaign. This represented a value of £l7l 10s, and in addition there were saved 745 37241 b) butter coupons, 301 bin sugar coupons, and 61b in tea coupons, reports the chief postmaster (Mr Ernest J. Smith). There was a complete tie-up between the departments concerned. sai<l Mv Smith, so that food to the amount of the coupons presented was made available. Each period Wellington was advised of the total number of food coupons handed in under the respective headings. This gave the full particulars of the total savings throughout the Dominion, and the Government had agreed to make that amount of food available for export. For the purpose of assisting persons who had coupons which they did not require, and found some difficulty in /taking to a post office, a number of depots has been mapped out in the city area. A number of commercial organisations had agreed to act as official receivers for the purpose of the campaign, and had been authorised to accept loose, cancelled ration coupons. These would be affixed to cards, or coupons already attached to the household record cards. Records similar to those maintained by the post office officials would he 'kept at these depots. Firms which had agreed to assist in this respect were the D.1.C., Brown, 'Ewing, and Co. Ltd., Arthur Barnett Ltd., Butterfields Ltd., Calder Mackay Co. Ltd., A. and T. Inglis Ltd.. and Coofcham House. On Monday, Dean Button handed in to the chief postmaster a large number of coupons which had been provided bv members of the congregation of St. Paul's Cathedral. The extent of the sacrifice made by some of these people was shown by the fact that in some cases the whole week's supplyof coupons had heen offered. Mr Smith stated that it was the intention of tho post office to., keep a record of such savings and credit them with the coupons collected. A novel form of collecting has been decided upon by a young people's organisation, which is to hold a dance in Dunedin, admission to which is by one coupon and one tin of food. Tho coupons received will be forwarded to the post office, while the food will be made up for despatch to England.