"OUR DAY" APPEAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16669, 13 October 1917, Page 9

"OUR DAY" APPEAL.

iSff? ; . PSfeiEMPIRE RED GROSS FUND, : I EMPIRE RED CROSS £15,000. '"'• AUCKLAND'S, QIiQTA £15,000. ' &sss? ' • ,- ' . . '-- ' g!|tsHS organising ; committee-set up to Scarry Uout arrangements in connection with .the i-'S, Red Cross Society's' 'fi Our,Day'! "appeal •■■ on October 19 is now; busily at work, and . great efforts are being made to ensure that ./.:''; this appeal shall ;meet with the -same .generous measure of success which 'has attended Auckland's previous activities in patriotic causes. The appeal is .being ~-_■' made at the request of ■' the Imperial * authorities, who have asked the people of : ;- V New Zealand, through the Governor-t-il ..General, to co-operate with, the rest of the; ■■ fife British Empire in making, a 'special con- ,-;". tribution on "Our Day"' to the' funds HP of the society, which is doing such noble .. work among the fighting men of all the £%{' allied nations.' ~ ■„■-•;.' ' sjtv.-- This Empire appeal is made each, year, fgUfbut, whereas last year the total amount :;.... received was donated to the British Red ;, : Gross Society, half this year's proceeds ||p-- will bo paid to the latter society, and 'the "'-;■ 'remaining half divided between the Red IpfeviCross Societies' of the allied nations; .' '1"y ' In order to ensure that Auckland's conllf tribution shall be worthy the greatness of I .J V the cause, a committee "consisting of dole- ' '-*-.'■ gates rom all the local patriotic societies . and institutions has been* appointed to .-'"-; supervise arrangements, and this commvV \V.~ tee has set the amount to be contributed , , by the Auckland district at £15,000. £f-jt The monthly subscriptions to the local '.' branch of the Red Cross Society, amount- ;■'.'" -Sng to about £1200, are to. be devoted to • * .this special object, while liberal support V fas- looked for from the public during the ■ -which -the committee is now -organising.

Sil'v.i . The Symbol of Mercy. ' .. \ ~.--. , ; :?•':•' ♦■;■■*.> : {%\;, '■■ The fact that while Auckland has raised flyover.:. halfsa-million pounds : for various I I forms of war relief; only £8000 has been •• i -:i''-' contributed- to .the Red Cross Society was ! yesterday commented on by,, Mr..", 0. F. Bickford, honorary financial organiser r for '•"".the Auckland ' branch. . "Thers is ( great ?|ite talk these ; days of preparedness to shoot, ; to kill, to sink, and to bombard," he said, ..'■ "but, somehow, people •'do not even yet quite seem to realice who is going to -/ ,: '-. ."-rescue andfeed and .doctor and nurse the ...hundreds of thousands .of victims. It I seems to be ' generally taken - for, granted ;.-'.;•" that; tie Government has some great _<&• ■ ■ :;v. partment to' meet "this' most: exacting :of all. services iti the field,, has enormous ''■',- stores of bandages, beds, stretchers, and fe^'. thousands '- of -; nerses'i and doctors ready . ; ." v.'trained' for'service'at the ■ front.'/ But it p|s||„hasinot; 'apart from the regular. Army rtS || Medical Corps/, and it may .be said at once :■ ■ ■ .that, th-i organisation is absolutely depend dent'oft the supplementary work done by .•■ ...the Red; Cross Society." • The work that the Red Cross organisa- ■'■' tion has done, in every; nation engaged in. ■"■•-. war ; can • never, bo over-estimated. /; Its '■■'■:'} '-."[workers' have ■ cared > for 5 the wounded ' of ;s:'; every armyi\havo gone through' the wasted ,1 lands of the.smaller nations stricken by : ''~ a. ruthless foe, have combated pestilence >$ r"c '. and" the gaunt desolation confronting •'.'■■':.' •,. countless thousands -.'of suffering ; men, ' -women, and children, and-have brought comfort and hope, to the sick and ; : the 'dying. ~ ,

• Wat : the- Bed Cross Society to Doing. While everyone knows;- in more or. Jess ;'■: general manner : what the ' Red , .Cross: ;'- Society is.doing in the actual zone of war; .":'.. there are many who do not realise how '"''''■'■ ..'wide'; is -She-scope -of its. activities/ extending -much farther than the -actual ' , work -of the battlefield. %ta- addition to the work of ministering to the fallen in I /'■ the. field, the society runs its-'own-hoi-.. 1 pitals, 'ships, and trains, maintains bureaux for tracing .-the; wounded' and ; the - ,"-" 'missing, and for the relief of prisoners of war. Relatives wishing to visit soldiers • : ' •lying dangerously ill in France are pro-, •vided " with free accommodation jfcwhen the wounded - soldier.* returns to England, ' : lia is met.by Red Cross motor or, ambulance; if ho wishes to ; travel to : some. " place 'of interest or amusement, .the Red '-• . . Cross car is again at his disposal. ;On all '•.', ' the -battle fronts, from North European > lands stricken with winter's piercing ■' cold, to the torrid. heat of the deserts, of Sinai, '■•■'•'-'- ;'"; ■ work of mercy is'maintained. I '. •_■_ ;■ . * " Of: particular interest to New Zealan- ', ciers is one branch of the work.conducted ?>y this great : organisation—the establish- ' ■v .'meat of a daily aeroplane service between , ■<' ■ -*he'.Suez Canal zone and' medical units; in outlying portions of the,, desert.* Comforts :.':• :• '•■'.. euch as fans, fly-whisks,■ chocolate, •' and, ■ even (Tamaphones, are thus carried, to liohtett 5 in some measure the ; hardships of ■■■-■'■: ith'e desert campaign. ;.:;' ; ■ .... . . _ .

.A Vast Expenditure. '■, •. The expenditure of so great an organisa- .' ■ " tion as the 'British Bed Cross Society is ! : ."• " 'necessarily- enormous, the amount .per, day '*•■< ••' Wall wonts totalling £8000. The income ; '.last year was' £3,064,ff12, = or over a" million in excess of that 10r4915,, while the expenditure left a balance of If million for ;•'•.' the' present year. With constantly in- ■ creasing scope of activities, however, it is : .'estimated that" a very much larger sum •':• '",-'■ 'will be; required to carry out the work ahead,' while it must also ■be borne in mind that the Bed will have . ' to maintain its activity for at least . a ■~■'• year after the declaration'of peace. .V - r > r ~i It is with needs such as these in view that the present - appeal, is: being made ". throughout the Empire, and the fact that New Zealand men are reaping the benefit . . <,? the work of the Red Cross Society, in common with all other soldiers of the ' nation, makes the appeal a personal one - ■ to all whose sons, brothers, or friends are .;;'■.. \ fighting at the front.. To give_ in . this \ "great cause is not a charity; it is a pri- ' vilege and. an obligation, a part payment of ' ' ihe.debt owing to that great body of men end women who are workine bo nobly for I , those near and dear the men and women 'end women who are workine so nobly for those near and dear to the men and women \ I of the Dominion.

• Programme for Appeal Week. « - ■•' The campaign of "the local organising y : committee, although centring in'.''Our i •H:¥;;Ste ; !Day," will commence ■:■ to-day, ; and be i continued throughout the month. The ' ■ 'first event ■will .be a grand foot- i . , hall and hockey . match, the Auckland j "•■".'■:•''• Representative. Rugby League versus re- : . presentatives of the New Zealand military , camps, and the Mount Eden Hockey Team ; versus the Rest of Auckland. The matches ; : '■'■••""iwillbe played this afternoon in the 11 .'■' ' ; Domain. In 7 the evening there , will be .a harbour excursion and concert on the b.s. ••■ - Peregrine, given under the auspices of the Women's Mutual Aid Society. On October ': iMOk- 18 there will be a grand swimming gala at ''the Tepid Baths, arranged by the Auck- ''"■ ' - land centre of the New Zealand Amateur *#fffiK Swimming Association. For Friday, "Our Day," a varied and novel programme has oeert arranged, with many attractive feaI; Day," Queen Street will programme has beert arranged, with many attractive fea-'i ■"■' tures.' Queen Street will once more hi "en fete," and there ..will be a line of, :i - ■ stalls from Wellesjey -Street to the Ferry ;' '&'{*&&■ Buildings. In addition to the street .' ;'-7 '' stalls, which will be in l charge of ladies representing all the local . patriotic ... % organisations, there will be numerous supplementary attractions, including a , ' .*' •■ ' "Wizard's Cave," arranged by the Consuls , * • of the allies, in tin New" Zealand Insur- ' ' ••.■ once Building, a cafe chantant at the ■''.'.-".; • Town 'Hall, and a continuous entertainment by the Merry Jesters" at Hallen- ■'' ": ;; ' r'\ .'eteVs Buildings. On Sunday, October 21, 1 special church services will be held, the ■ collections to be donated. to the Red Crops -"".' Fund.' A dance .recital by ; Miss Bares- .- ford's pupils will be held in ;H«' Majesty s ■■■:"*■•■ Theatre on November 3, and .there, will • , he a gymkhana arranged by members of the police force', in S the Town Hall on ' - November 9. A children's'fancy dress ball and tournaments arraneed ;by the / . fowling and golf clubs will also be held ' s during4he month,