REGIMENTAL FUNDS

Southland Times, Issue 17933, 26 January 1917, Page 5

REGIMENTAL FUNDS

FOR MEN IN THE TRENCHES. At the War Funds Committee meeting yesterday the following letter was received from Colonel J. E. Watson; —I have just received a letter from Lieut.Colonel Geoffrey S. Smith, D.5.0., Commanding 2nd Battalion Otago Regiment, Britisli Expeditionary Force, in which he makes an appeal for an addition to the Regimental Fund, which, lie expects, will be practically exhausted by the end of this current month. The funds are chiefly required to enable the men to receive porridge and milk daily for breakfast, which items alone involve an expenditure of £IOO per month for the 2nd Battalion, and which addition to their regulation diet is very greatly appreciated by the men who are enduring the hardships of trench life through a long continental winter. I respectfully suggest that at least £SOO should be cabled as promptly as possible to Colonel Geoffrey S. Smith, Commanding 2nd Battalion Otago Regiment, and a similar amount to the O.C. Ist Battalion same Regiment, and that they be asked by letters to cable when further funds are required. It would only be fair that the cost of supplying these Regimental Funds should be borne proportionately by the Southland Association, and the Otago Association as indeed was done when the fund was first established, but I feel sure that the War Fund Committee will gladly agree to provide a generous proportion of-what may be required, and to arrange to co-operate with the Otago Association in this matter. Personally I feel that the people of Otago and Southland are under a heavy debt of gratitude to Colonel Geoffrey Smith for the devotion he displays in looking after the welfare of our boys. It was resolved to support the proposal, and to ask the Otago Committee to co-opcrate, and failing their agreeing to the proposal, it was left to Messrs Royds, Thompson and Gllklson to decide what amount is to be remitted as Southland’s share.