OUR WOUNDED.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14286, 1 May 1917, Page 7

OUR WOUNDED.

NEW ZEALANDERS IN ENGLAND. ' (Prom a Special Correspondent.) LONDON, Feb. 27. Some idea of the magnitude of the work done by the New Zealand War Contingent Association amongst the wounded New Zeadanders in England may be gathered from the accounts, which have just been published, of the receipts and. expenditure from the outbreak of the war to the 30th September, 1916. During that period the Association appears to have received £58,700, of which £21,646 came from the New Zealand Government and the Lord Liverpool Fund specially earmarked' for the Wilton Hospital (now No. 2 N.Z. General Hospital); and £23,100 was derived from English contributions and from the War Office in respect to Walton Hospital. ..'... The expenditure side of the account is very interesting. During the whole period, the administration of the Association cost in salaries and wages only £950; or about 1.6 per cent, of the whole dncome. Practically the whole of the office work is .unpaid]. The only salaries which have been paid were £200 per annum for a short period to an official organiser, and small weekly sums to messengers and one or two clerks. Tlie whole of the office: expenditure (including rent, stationery, ■'; postage, and travelling expenses) was' JB2B4o— about 5 per cent, of the income 1 .- The maintenance of Walton Hospital and Soldiers' Canteens and the Nurses' Best amounted to about £19,000, and there was a capital expenditure of £25,000 on buildings and! equipment. But undoubtedly the moat interesting part of the accounts to the general public is the expenditure on direct entertaining and comforts to the wounded men in England. ' Of' this £2560 went in extra comforts and entertainments (including the Christmas entertainments). The expenditure on articles of clothing was £2590; on small items of kit (such as razors, soap, and. shaving brushes), £1390*: and on the universal "smokes" £2200. Motors, launches, brakes, etc, , for taking the wounded about cost something less than £1000, and newspapers cost £424. CHEAP ENTERTAINMENT. Th© actual expenditure of the N.Z. War Contingent Association in the ojitertaining of . soldiers in England has always been remarkably low for the value received. This is partly due to the fact that much of the entertaining is done, in the Association's own canteens and clubs, and that tobacco and cigarettes' ate now obtained in bond 1 instead of beirig ..subject to duty of more than 100 per cent, (as in the earlier months of the war). But the low average cost is chiefly due to the generosity of English people and firms. Although the war has been in progress -for- nearly three 'years,, it. is still .possible without any difficulty to find private hospitality for considerable parties . of men almost any day in the week. The London theatres are also remarkably generous. In January 1264 New Zealanders in London went to theatres on tickets distributed; by the Association, and of this number only 80 tickets were paid for. The rest wer© given by the various theatres. The appointment of Miss Rosemary Rees, the well-known NewZealand actress, to manage the entertainment side has resulted in considerable saving in this respect owing 1 to her wide connection amongst English tlieatrioal people. She also, arranges regular concerts at all the New Zealand hospitals and clubs, and the total cost of these for the month of January was onlv £32. ' IN THE HOSPITALS. Thenuntber of New Zealanders in hospital in Bngland at the> end of January was 3240. Of these 329 men and*, 10 officers were in British, hospitals and 3014 men and 67 officers were in the different New Zealand hospitals. i FOOD PRODUCTION. • In sympathy with the general movement in the Old Country, the New Zea-' landers here have made, a move towards increasing the food supplies. Long ago the advisability of allowing the men in Walton Hospital to cultivate some of the land adjoining was considered, and last summer quite a considerable quantity of kitchen garden produce was raised by the men for .their own amusement. This year there is evidence 1 that the quantity will be very much greater.. The Hospitality Committee of ithe N.Z. War Contingent Association appointed Lady Hardwicke, Miss Rees, Mr J. C. N. Grigg. Mr H. Guthrie-Smith, and Mr T. W. Raymond to go into the matter, ami after several consultations with General. Richardson a scheme was brought up and approved. The commanding officer of eacn unit is to inform headquarters what ground is available for. vegetablegrowing and poultry-keeping, and is to organise the work. Ocsneral Richardson wishes everything to be done by voluntary work, and therefore there will be no "fatigues." All the produce will he. long to the military authorities, and will be used primarily by the N.Z. hospitals and camps. Messrs Cooper and? Sons (the Wellington seedsmen) have presented a quantity of seed, arid have offered £20 for prizes. The War Contingent Association will receive 1 monthly reports of the work done and the produce raised, and it will also ; award the prizes. The financial liability of the Association will be limited to a sum of, say, £300 for the purchase of 1 fowls, and a special donation of £100 towards this liability has been received from a well- wisher of the:sol»me. . WEI/X^BEHAVED NEiW i ZEALANDERS. In the report on the Soldiers* Hostel at Ruaaell.Sqmro, Mr R. H. Nolaii (the hon. secretary) remarks that the working accounts show a profit of about £80. During December and January the gross takings averaged, about £50 per clay. At the dat« of the report 32,000. beds had been booked, and only one man during the whole of .that tune had to be reproved, for misconduct, a record, says Mr Nolan, "of which every New Zealander may be proud." . '■ .