RED CROSS ACTIVITIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16499, 27 March 1917, Page 7

RED CROSS ACTIVITIES.

— -*- FUNDS SENT TO LONDON. SYSTEM OF ADMINISTRATION. [WW OTO OWN CORRESPONDENT.] ' r LONDON, Jan. 3o'. Correspondence ,that: has : reached r England recently from ; Red Cross committees l D ,New Zealand, and from private sources, suggests , there: is some confusion 'of-ideas as ;to .what can: bo done by ■ the New ; Zealand Red Cross Society. ..In.view ; of this, J Mr. Charles Elgar, the New Zealand Red Cross Commissioner in England, has made a statement of the position. . ■ > "The position of the New Zealand Red Cross Society and?the-Order of St. John of Jerusalem is that, having no "charters of itheir own, they - are a branch of, the British societies," said Mr. Elgar. /'Any Bed Cross Society, to bo a success, must work with the \ military authorities, fof ,nJ' m U S? done withou t their consent and^ aid., 7 he ■ work to bo donc « often supplementary ■ to what '/ the , military ?™fces provide. There are many large hosptals that are entirely Red 'Crosa institutions, as well as : homes for conS» m »t" d for Special trea t*ent, but they., must be accepted: and i recognised by The joint' com. nut eovm fc?Zealand has never; apV wished ,any;;rsuchf:institutions: Sf^u^ he funds sen * to the New && n At C ™ fc,n g enfc Association and tne Ked Cross Committee in England for New Zealand Red Cross.purposes have not be^ ;B ufficient,to v do/sb::M:CrossS L r W J*" subscribed liberally Z£ n Ze t' and ' but m b " lk of «>« money, h«s : been;: sent.-Ivbelioive,''to'the be-of their ; War Council, - I know ' they want every penny subscribed. Nothing Left Undone. ;

• «» rf our sick and wounded has been earned out by the War Contingent Association as far as the! funds at our disposal j would v permit ,: US \ to.' go. I .'- must make it perfectly clear that notlung more could have been done by r;; bodv-of women , and men calling themselVes a Red Uross society than; has < been done by ' the' War, Contingent Association. Nothing as far as I know has been left undone in consequence of the absence of a separate Red Gross organisation. ': The only./difference is that the War - Contingent -'Association' deals ; with : matters relating to. the fit • and able-bodied as well as the sick and wounded. The Red Cross Committee ; that has now , ; been; set ; up/.-consisting of : Lord Pkmket, Sir, T: -Mackenzie; Messrs. Elgar, 'V - . H -,_ ; Coates^- R. ;' D. D. McLean, Sinclair Thomson, ; and // F. // Waldegrave, lis working with and through the War Contingent Association, but in order to conform to the Geneva Convention Red Cross moneys and stores ■ cannot': be used ; for : the well-and,able-bodied. : This is the reason for having-.Red \ Cross committees <or commissioners i. who apply Red Cross money and stores to the sick amd wounded only, and - who - conform to a charter that/sets out what can be dono under it. : ■■'■• ■■■ - ;;/;///':Supervision of Funds. /

"My -.- experience ion the British ..War Council shown : me the '; necessity of; at once ; appointing such :, representatives, either commissioners or'. committees, or both, wherever money and stores are sent.' There /bo no ■ continuity ,or proper, surveillance of work : unless this is done. Stores are lost arid -wasted; and money does not achieve all that it should unless there is. someone - who is the accredited representative of 'i the Red Cross Society to ; . receive and deal with them. .The necessity for < this does not ; arise where Red Cross stores .are sent in cases of emergency to military i. hospitals v direct. If, am'? sure/ I am Justified; in saying that both the War Contingent ■/ Association '£ and / representatives of the Red Cross Society, have ''done all ; that .'. we were ' able to ?do for our soldiers, and my only object is to show that the work to be dono by a Red Cross society is limited to the money and stores receives and ; to ; the!': acceptance <of I its assistance by, the military authorities* The welfare /of the ■■ able-bodied ,''; mtost be /a separate • organisation. vv The report which was; made ' ; to \ the Prime Minister 'and ■ Sir Josephs Ward/ of ■ the K work ; done \ by - the War | Contingent Association should show to those/who have subscribed to patriotic, Red Cross, ; and other funds, that, nothing has been left undone at this end to carry out the : objects ' they have 'had in -view ;. when making their ;, liberal ■ donations /to *these many funds. , • ; "The points, to which I wish to draw special : attention -are as follow :--(l)} Red Cross funds and : : Roods'. can be used only for ;, sick ; and I wounded; fi (2) i the War ConI tingent Association has up to the .present carried but this -work bv the aid "of funds from the Patriotic ~i arid.' Red) Cross'; Societies: /and/ (3) if ; the New Zealand I Red Cross Society ; wishes to' extend - : its operaI tions in the direction of establishing hospitals in "England,-; or of ; starting ). a; Red Cross organisation in France, it must be nrenared to face a large expenditure, alwavs. of course, assuming the/military authorities wish such undertakings carried out. ... •■'. Additions to the -Fund.

The committee responsible for' ,the |". Rovaltv.":'•''"; Thames;. . River :?j trios for, wounded? soldiers received / £1928 from the i^ public ;V.in',';^response >£. to its - appeal, ; and ; after pavment of ex|penses the balance, of . £726 has been I handed kto ;.the > Joint | War Committee •« of the -British*; Red Cross Society,; and j the I Order of :' St;; {John iof > Jerusalem 'f to she earmarked. for such trips during. the ; com-, ine Bummer. ■ The trips worked out at. a little'under 3s a >man. . Every man had : a four hours' trip, ■ a packet of cigarettes, and a good.tea. and in most cases his fare was''aid to and from the hospital -•'-"■ Mr; Manuel Rionda, of New York, recently v £8000 for Rod Cross' purposes as a token of his sympathy with tho cause of-the allies. - : Of.this be .earmarked; £200 for the' New Zealand Red Cross. . |