BELGIAN RELIEF FUNDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16666, 11 April 1916, Page 8

BELGIAN RELIEF FUNDS

NORTH-EAST VALLEY COLLECTIONS. A public meeting, hold in tho I.orth-Easl Valley Town Hall List night, was attended by about 50 ladies. Tho principal business or the meeting was to receive tho nnnua! report showing tho result of the Valley col lections in aid of the Belgian Relief Fund. Tlie chair was taken by the Mayor (Mr J. J. Clark), and Mr 14. L. Dcnniston (Consul for Belgium), Cr Green, and Mr J. A. Johnstone occupied suats on the platform. The Mayor said tho meeting was called for tho purpose of sustaining local interest in the efforts mado for collecting funds to assist the Belgians. Dunedin had responded to that appeal in a remarkable manner by collecting something- like J860.000, and ho believed that in North-East Valley about £600 had been raised towards thu same cause. Ho referred to tho heroic conduct of the Belgians; but to-day her cities were destroyed, and her Tactories wore being used for tho manufacture of munitions for the enemy. Ho hoped that, when tho dreadful war was over, Germany would bfi made to pay to the full for the injury she had caused to although she could never repay for the lost lives and the broken homes. No nation had suffered so much as Belgium, and, had it not becii for their heroic resistance at.tho beginning of tho war, the Huns would probably be now knocking at tho gates of London. It had been asked whether the money collected had gono to the aid of the homeless people of Belgium, but he thought that there was good reason to believe that tho committee which distributed the food sent there did so effectually, and that it was not hindered by the Germans in doing so. He regretted that some people were tired of contributing to the Belgian Relief Fund, but ho thought the call for relief was just as great now as ever it was, and for that reason he hoped the ladies in North-East Valley would not relax their efforts Mr Denniston said he was there more as a listener than a speaker. On former occasions he had spoken on behalf of the Belgians, who were among the best cultivators, the most industrious, and peacable people on the face of the earth bclore tho war, but their condition at present was one of unspeakable misery. If it had not been for their heroic resistance in the early days of the war, the Huns would probably have been in Paris, if not in London. Dunedin and Invprcargill had contributed about £80,000 to tho Belgian Relief Fund, but they could not do too much for that country, and the need for help was absolutely as great to-day as it was when the war began. He hoped the residents in North-East Valley would not relax their efforts, and that, when the war was over, their record would be as good as that from any other district. Mrs Blaokman (treasurer of tho local Ladies' Committee) lead a report showing the collections made up to the end of March. They started with 542 names on their books, but were left with only 337. About 20 collectors had gone round weekly, fortnightly, or monthly, and they had collected over £621, but they desired to get further assistance to continuo the work of collection. The Rov. R. 6. Gray said that £600 or £700 per month had been collected in tho whole of Dunedin, and he was glad that the ladies of tho Valley were doin- their share in the good work. Belgium had covered herself with unspeakable and immeasurable glory. She knew that her army could not stand against the German forces, but she stopped their progress until France and England could come to her help. It was believed that even now, if Belgium would sue for peace, Germany would restore the country, as far as possible, to its original position. To that proposal Belgium would not listen, and, as a result, tho whole people were compelled to live on one-third of a soldier's rations, and all they asked, as moat and vegetables, were unknown to thousands of ..them, was ;bread onii salt. He did not know how it was that so many in New Zealand were living in luxury whilo thousands in Belgium were starving. He hoped the permanent effect of the present meeting would be to ma-ke "people carry out what they believed should bo done._ He urged the ladies to get back tho subscribers they had lost, as well as others, just as if they were making an appeal for Belgium for the first time. In answer to his appeal, several ladies held up thoir hands in token of their willingness to assist in collecting funds. During the evening Miss Christie sang a solo and played brilliantly a pianoforte selection. Votes of thanks and the singing of the National Anthem closed the proceedings.

" Tell me, Mary, how to woo thee, Teach my bosom to unfold Language -which can soothe and cheer thee, When thou hast a cough or cold. But if pleading cannot gain thee, I'll invoke an aid more sure; E'en a queen could not disdain me Offering Woods' Great Peppermint Cure."

The best friend of tho family ia good fc.~!>.ri--WOLFE'S SCHNAPPS for stood health