Salvation Army.

Manawatu Times, Volume XL, Issue 13523, 6 October 1916, Page 5

Salvation Army.

ANNUAL GATHERING. The Salvation Army held its annual gathering at the Empire Hall last evening. A tea meeting was held at 6.15. There were three tables all well filled, and the arrangements in the hands of Mesdames Home, Sumner, Hepworth, Pike, Mutton, Thurkettlei Wallace, R. Cobb, A. Cobb, Vortreskosky, Bell, Miss Morris, and a bevy of young ladies, were entirely satisfactory.

At 8 o'clock a public meeting was held at which the Mayor, Mr J. A. Nash, presided. There were also present on the stage: Mr D. Buick, M.P., Lieutenant-Colonel Hume, Eev. J. "H. Haslam, Commissioned 11. C. Hodder, Brigadier Bray, Major Toomer, and other officers of the Salvation Army. The Mayor said it was a great pleasure to him to preside at the meeting. It was proposed to continue holding these annual gatherings in Palmerston North, and the position of the town warranted it. The establishment of the central division in the town showed that the Salvation Army considered it an important centre. The local branch was fortunate in having Major Toomer as its commander. The Army had done a great work in the' war, which was reeognised from the King and the Queen down. Lately it had done great service in equipping and manning motor ambulances which it had presented to the, British Army. This work must inevitably receive the recognition it deserved. The greatest work the army was doing socially was amongst the children, and wherever Salvation Army children were found they were happy and smiling. This alone was a great tribute to the Army's work. He introduced Commissioner Hodder, whom he said had come to New Zealand with a reputation, and while here had been unflagging in his social work. Commissioner H. C. Hodder gave an outline of the Army work. He said that people had said that they were in sympathy with Army social work but not in their spiritual work. It was from the spiritual work that the social work had sprung. The Army's resefue work had sprung from the fact thar an old woman in Whitechapel had taken pity on a beautiful girl who had fallen, and had taken her home to look after ('her. The experiment had proved so successful that the woman had rescued fifteen other girls. The financial impossibility of keeping them had become apparent, and she had gone to General Booth to ask for his help. Mrs Booth had visited the girls, and it had been decided that the Salvation Army should make the rescue of girls part of its work. Since then the work had extended to men and children. The Army had found that one-tenth of the people of Britain were homeless. Shelters had been established, metropoles for men and women, food depots, industrial institutions, labour bureaux, and prison gate homes, which were doing a glorious work. Then there were inebriates' homes and maternity homes. Here in New Zealand the Army's latest enterprise had been with homes for the children of soldiers. The Salvation Army had given 15 motor ambulances to the British Army, and these had already carried 50,000 wounded men. £3OOO had been spent on a building by the Salvation Army at Trentham. The building had had to be enlarged four times, and it had now accommodation for 1200 men. On week nights and on Sunday it was crowded. At Eotorua £IBOO had been spent on. work amongst wounded soldiers. In addition to this the Army had been able to forward £13,000 to General Booth and between £IOOO and £2OOO for the Serbian Fund. The Salvation Army had been able to send its men into Serbia, where they had been able to do very valuable work. At the Front the Army was represented by Major Green, ChaplainCaptain Garner, and Chaplain-Captain Walls. Major Green's name had become a household word. His had been a noble work.

Brigadier Bray said that lie had had 30 years of experience with the social work of the Salvation Army, and he had found it full of difficulties. He gave a summary of the work undertaken in New Zealand, and related several interesting anecdotes in connection with his experience. He said that the Salvation. Army was undenominational, and it helped everybody who needed help, irrespective of creed. The work was being carried on efficiently, and he doubted if the Army had ever had a more prosperous year than this. Colonel Hume and Mr D. Buick also spoke in appreciation of the Army's work. A vote of thanks was accorded Commissioner Hodder for his address and the Mayor for acting as chairman. Enjoyable selections were given by the Silver Band and the 1 Boy Scouts' Band during the evening.