SALVATION ARMY WAR WORK

Otago Witness, Issue 3330, 9 January 1918, Page 18

SALVATION ARMY WAR WORK

AN APPEAL FOR FUNDS

Wo havo received the following communication: —

_ Tho New Zealand branch of the Salvation Army is making its first great national appeal to the people of the dominion for help in tho Arrays splendid work in the interests of our soldiers in the firing line and in the hospitals and camps in England, France, and New Zealand, in their ambulance corps work, and in countless other ways. Until nine months ago the International Headquarters of the Salvation Army bore the major part of the expenses in connection with its great humane war work at the front.- The leaders of tho Army in New Zealand feel that the publicshould now come in with greater support and further this good work, especially seeing that, 'the International Head Office, in the first \ two years and a-half of war, has spent over aSquarte'r of a million of money. There is such widespread and thankful recognition of the Army's invaluable work — work that has never flagged since the inception of the war, but has been continued with untiring' zeal, and has merited and received the deepest gratitude of our brave soldiers and their relatives, —that the request of Commissioner Hodder 'that committees of citizens in the various centres should be set up to push the appeal has met with a ready response. Adjutant Hosking, who has visited Dunedin to start 'the fund here, has been most cordially received by the Mayor and the business men of the city whom he has met, and a larg.o committee has been formed .to raise .in this city and provincial district their proportionate share of the £50,000 which it is hoped will result from the dominion canvass. In order that the uses to which the money is to be applied may be clearlv understood, the allocation is set out by Commissioner Hodder as follows:—For work with 'the troops across the seas, £35,000; divided between the under-men-tioned—viz., comforts for wounded soldiers, £15,000; for hutment work and comforts for men in the fighting areas, hostel work, etc.. £15,000; to motor ambulance corps, £5000; for the maintenance and advancement of our military work in ,New Zealand, £15,000. It is worthy of mention, in connection with the Army's work in the New Zealand military camps, that on the 17th November the major and adjutant in charge of Featherston Camp wrote as follows toMajor Stone, who is at the head of the Salvation Army hostel at that camp :—"Dear Major,— Your. achievement for October is indeed remarkable, and to supply 8000 meals and cbOO beds in one month is a very practical demonstration of the great need, there was for a soldiers' hostel in the district. lam sure, if you heard tho many complimentary remarks which are made upon your untiring efforts in making the hostel so comfortable for the soldiers' wives, you would feel that your staff and self are doing a good deal to maie the time spent by the men in this training camp as happy as possible for themselves and wives.—Neville Newcombe, Major and Adjutant."

As chairman ajid lion. treasurer respectively of a committee which has been formed in Dunedin to help the Salvation Army to raise tha funds of which it is in urgent need, we commend the appeal to your favourable consideration, merely saying that we know of no section of the philanthropic work of the war-that is more deserving of widespread publio support.

G. Feswick, Chairman. G. L. Denniston, Hon. Treasurer.