THE PRINCE OF GIVERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23358, 29 May 1939, Page 8

THE PRINCE OF GIVERS

From that prince of givers, Lord Nuffield, has come another princely gift. This morning's cable news announces.that he has placed in the hands of trustees a million shares in his own company, worth at least £1,500,000, the income from which, estimated at £105,000 annually, is to be used in providing recreational facilities for young men who are training to fit themselves for an active part in Great Britain's national defence effort. As always, the object of Lord Nuffield's benefaction is splendidly chosen. There is a tendency among many people, in New Zealand as well as in England, to regard the citizen soldier when he enlists as a saviour of his country and then to forget all about him until, in Kipling's phrase, "the guns begin to shoot." Lord Nuffield, l with one of those amazing' gestures | that he alone can make, has shown that there are ways in which national gratitude can be fittingly demonstrated. The art of soldiering is not easily acquired. Mind and body must both respond to discipline and it is only through arduous training that the necessary response can be achieved. But, as a result of Lord Nuffield's munificence, men who are undergoing training, not only in the militia and territorials but also in the other forces, will find greater facilities for recreation during their leisure hours. It is this sort of interest in their welfare that makes young recruits think that their willingness to serve is at least appreciated. Lord Nuffield counts himself happy because he is blessed with an attitude to life based on what he can contribute toward it. The sum total of his benefactions is now approaching £15,000,000, but not even the staggering extent of that figure can measure the happiness that he has given to others.