RED CROSS FUND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 16959, 11 September 1915, Page 9

RED CROSS FUND.

ORGANISATION AYORK. . AVHAT THE SCHEME MEANS. In its efforts to put .the Red Cross work on a business footing the Red Cross Fund Executive seems to have encountered a- considerable' amount of unanticipated . opposition, which- has 'arisen-out of a misconception of the objects of the scheme. The executive has discovered that there are many portions of the city where practically no effort is proceeding, while in other parts there is a pl.erttitudo of helpers. It is to secure uniformity of effort that the organisation is being carried out. Although the supplies made by van.-, ous little bands of. helpers in various parts of the province have been eagerly accepted,' there have been occasions when some of the articles sent;in have not been.quite to pattern, and' time lias been lost iu remaking; so that tlio ■goods could go forward; One effect of this new scheme, it is .hoped, will •be the provision of .facilities for- help in this direction, so that not one stitch made iu the cause of the wounded and sick will be wasted. It is intended that, as far 'as possible, there shall be'no centralisation. The control of the actual working and collection’will be thrown on to the district committees.

Under the scheme which is-being put in motion tlia city and suburbs will be blocked off into districts, in each 'of which a committee, 1 with its necessary officers,- will be elected. AVhen this is doue the committee will make arrangements for a house-to-house canvass in search of regular contributions, a.iid a collection of these subscriptions will be conducted by the agents authorised by the committee. A . body of ladies to do the sowing will be organised, and the money collected will bo devoted to the purchase-of material ter this body of workers. II is hoped -that the collection work will devolve largelyon the men, leaving the women to concentrate their efforts on the manufacture of articles. AA’hen the goods arc made they will be despatched to the .central rooms, and there will be packod'for shipment. A record 1 of'the goods sent, in from each district will be kept. If there is a surplus of cash after the material is purchased, the money will be sent to the central fund, for use in Red Cross work. But it is quite clear that the money collected in each district is controlled, by the district committee and expended in obtaining-material for that coniniittee’s working. Each committee exercises full control over its district.

This will leave the committees under a loose control, which will give the districts the advantage of being able to communicate to the central body, without difficulty, and it will mean that all the articles will pass through tho central depot, where an inspection will correct little faults and secure absolute uniformity. .!

AATiere there a.re already committees in existence, with their districts properly organised, the executive will not have to do much more than arrange with the committee for the dispatch of tho articles to the headquarters: It is considered that it is imperative that all the goods should be packed and shipped from the headquarters', because of the difficulty artd. expense of securing space off ships if individuals send the cases off. The Red Cross Fund has;, arrangements for free space on transports and liners, and if the shipment of tho Red Oifoss accessories is to be carried out efficiently and cheaply one controlling body is necessary. One body"is necessary, too, to secure the best results and to prevent overlapping. The organisation work will be commenced almost at once. On Thursday Canon Burton aridAftesrs J: A. Flosber, M. J. Grcsson and H. AI. Reeves wereAppointed by the Red-Cross Fund Executive to carry out the work. They will wait oijlocal committees where they exist, and in other places, wliete no definite work is being done, tJiey will call meetings and start committees going in the work.