SALVATION ARMY WORK.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 226, 22 August 1940, Page 8

SALVATION ARMY WORK.

The work of Salvation Army officers is not always a quiet, orderly routine if. the experiences unfolded by Captain Jones, now in charge of the Woodvillc Corps, are the common lot. Only the gifts of resourceful inspiration plus the versatile training received in the Army College could enable a novice to carry on his mission in the tar southern territory allotted to him when first commissioned. In the hinterlands ot Central Otago, where vehicular travelling was not possible, Captain Jones and a follow officer tramped to remote stations and mining settlements. In an address to a gathering in the Methodist Church on Wednesday evening, Captain Jones spoke of remote run homesteads seldom visited one in particular where there had not been a visitor for 14 months-—but kept in touch with the world by telephone. He referred, to old settlements in that region and the rise and decay of mining townships, some of which had almost ceased to exist. On the humorous side ho described the conversion of a dsused hotel into a Salvation Armv hall and an adventurous and difficult journey to a road construction camp in the region of Haast 1 ass. Here the men co-operated handsomely with the officers, one of whom played a borrowed set of bagpipes, the supporting music coming from improvised Jin drums exucrtlv played upon. They had packed houses.” in and around the cooks gabcj. Captain Jones's narrative also embraced some very interesting descriptions of mountains, rivers and lakes, as well as gcoeraphical and mineral peculiarities and it fs certain that the knowledge of his audience was enriched in regard to the geographv, towns and historv of this littleknown part of New Zealand. At the conclusion of the address Hev. J. Coatsworth. who presided, expressed the thanks ot those present.