120 GIFT PARCELS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3283, 2 July 1943, Page 5

120 GIFT PARCELS

PAEROA CONSIGNMENT EXPLANATORY LEAFLET INFORMING TROOPS OVERSEAS One hundred and twenty gilt parcels were packed and dispatched this week by the Paeroa District Patriotic Committee to members of the Armed Forces serving in all parts of the world. Each parcel contained one tin ol jam. a tin of condensed milk, a tin ol iamb and green peas, a cake, a tin of barley sugar, a packet of lifebuoy soap, a tin of fruit, a khaki handkerchief and some chewing gum. A card advising the name of ’he donor wa> also enclosed with a leaflet issued by the New Zealand Patriotic Fund Board.

This leaflet explains the work done by the New Zealand Patriotic Fund Board and has been decided upon m view of the apparently widespread opinion that parcels supplied were financed by the distributing agents and not from patriotic funds. I his misconception also has some hold in New Zealand and the publication of the following message should prove an effective answer. The text of the leaflet is a< under: Message To Troops This parcel comes to you through the Patriotic Funds of New Zealand, with the compliments and best wishes of the people of New Zealand. There appears to be a misconception with some of our troops overseas as to the purpose of the Patriotic Funds of this war. Actually the Patriotic effort is the co-ordination of the activities of the societies which ■n the last war catered for the comforts of the troops. When you receive comforts in hospitals from the Red Gross Society these are part of the patriotic effort. Remember when you enter the Y.M.C.A., Church Army, Salvation Army and Catholic Institutes that these are built, furnished and maintained from Patriotic Funus. It has never been intended that Patriotic Funds are for the purpose of supplying individual comforts for our troops overseas. The policy has been to supply collective comforts, such as recreation huts, clubs, bands, cinemas, mobile canteens, subsidies to Regimental Fund, sports gear, libraries. writing paper and similar amenities. The Parcel Scheme The parcel scheme was inaugurated with the idea of enabling every man overseas to receive a parcel from the people of New Zealand. Originally these parcels contained cigarettes, but now cigarettes are sent separately. An endeavour is made to give each man overseas a Patriotic parcel once in every three months. Transport, difficulties, the war -.ituation, and other factors have affected this distribution. Consequently the threemonthly distribution cannot always he arranged, although the parcels are packed quarterly and endeavours are made to despatch them regularly. Last Year’s Expenditure

Of the £BOO,OOO paid into the National Patriotic Fund last year the main items of expenditure were briefly:— £171,990 for prisoners of war comforts.

£191.259 for Sick and Wounded Comforts, including grants to the Joint Council of the Order of St. John and N.Z. Red Cross Society.

£453,339 for Comforts for troops overseas and in New Zealand, including grants to the Y.M.C.A., Church Army. Salvation Army, Catholic War Services Fund Board, Navy League War Council, Air Force Relations and Overseas Seamen’s Gift Committees.