AN ISLAND FOR GENERAL BOOTH

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1696, 31 August 1904, Page 2

AN ISLAND FOR GENERAL BOOTH

Tlio King during tho recent interview listened with tho keenest interest to one of General Booth’s stones oi rescue work accomplished by the Salvation Army, so the venerable General proudly announced at a meeting in connection with tho International Congress at the new hall in tho Strand. He claimed that tho social operations of the Army were no longer to he regarded as‘an experiment and what had been done in thousands of cases in the past could bo done in tens ctf thousands in the future. It had been stated that the Salvation Army was going back. This General Booth disproved by reading some remarkable figures, which showed a striking increase during the past ten years. To-day, be said there were 180 food shelter depots, with accommodation for 18,504 persons, and no fewer than 4,573,000 beds had been provided during the year. There were seventeen prison-gate homes with accommodation for 530, and 2000 satisfactory cases had been passed through them during the past twelve months. There were 116 rescue homes, accommodating 2719, and 5700 satisfactory cases had passed through. Tho eighteen land colonies contained 29,252 acres, and gave temporary employment to 67,000 men. Only that morning, tlio General said, a who La island had been offered him on very reasonable terms. It contained over 1,000,000 acres and 30,000 buffaloes. It had a lovely climate and a beautiful soil. The amount wanted to continue the social work of the Army was £50,000, and if that was given him he would love the donors as they had never been loved before.