“BUY A POPPY”

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17232, 11 April 1930, Page 6

“BUY A POPPY”

EX-SERVICEMEN’S APPEAL STREET SALES TO-MORROW Operating from a main depot at the Masonic buildings, and from sub-depots in various parts of the town, the Gisborne R.!S. A. will launch to-morrow, morning its annual Poppy Day appeal with the confidence ' born of previous successes with this popular cause, it is almost a foregone conclusion that the association will sell all the poppies available, as it has done in past years, and that Gisborne’s total will stand well, in comparison with the yields from other centres of population throughout the Dominion. The public has given many proofs of its sympathy towards the R.S.A. and the excellent work it is doing in, the community, and |he intimation given recently in these columns concerning the manner in which "Poppy Day funds have been increased bv subsidies from other sources seems a sufficient warrant for continued support. Since the association took over the organisation of the appeal, every shilling given for a poppy has been multiplied at least, six times, and Gisborne residents will appreciate particularly the fact that there is in this town one semi-public body capable .of procuring such satisfactory results in its financial affairs. *

A comparatively small portion of the association’s activities is the promotion of employment for returned men who, through war service disabilities or illfortune, are unable to procure work for themselves. • Last year employment was . found for 39 men from July to Decern}mo\ the dependents of these men numbering about 150 m the aggregate. The relief works have been conducted on a method that has instilled new confidence into most of those thus temporarily employed, and this new confidence has been exemplified by their ability to find and hold jobs of thenown. Two men have been placed in permanent employment through the association’s agency, and others have been found an aggregate of 139 weeks’ work from various local bodies and other employing agencies. To a gi'eat extent, the association’s activities have been financed by the proceeds of the Poppy Day sales and the subsidies gained thei-eon, the amount made available for relief work alone being £1176 during the past year. There are many other departments in which the R.S.A. is active and successful, perhaps the most important being the supervision of pension claims for men and their dependents, who have- in many cases had rendered to them means of relief which formerly they did not realise were due. In many ways the town has been relieved of the burdens due to unemployment and indigence among returned men and their families, and doubtless the charitable aid funds have been relieved of claims which otherwise could not have been overlooked. If there is a feature of the R.S.A. work that specially deserves commendation, however, it is the promotion of confidence in indigent ex-service men who have temporarily lost their grip. Men who have received help-have been made to realise that it is through the generosity of Gisborne people that help lias been available, and scores of letters have been received by the executive acknowledging the assistance derived primarily from the. Poppy Day funds. Through the appeal which the R.S.A. will make to-morrow, nearly every citizen will have the opportunity of forwarding a -sound cause; to those whom the poppy-sellers are unable to reach, subscription lists are Available at both newspaper offices. , - - DIRECT SUBSCRIPTIONS In anticipation of the Poppy Day appeal, several residents have made direct subscriptions to the Returned Soldiers’ Association, the first list of these gifts being as under : — 1

£ a. d. Sister Higginson ... 110 D. W. Williams 5 0 \V. Holden Thompson ... ... 10 0 J. 0. Appletan ... 110 Mrs. E. D. Haves ... 3 0 0 Mrs. F. W. Nblan 1 0 0 "Anonymous" ... 1 10 H. Kenway 2 2 0 Kiore Sheepfarmintr Co. 5 5 0 Mr. and Mrs. W.C iSherratt 10 0 Geo. E- Darton 10 0 -Total to date 17 14 0