FIGHTER PLANE FUND

Southland Times, Issue 24180, 17 July 1940, Page 4

FIGHTER PLANE FUND

MORE THAN £2OOO IN FOUR DAYS HELP FOR BRITAIN The Southland Fighter Aeroplane Fund, though it has been open for only four days, is already well past the £2OOO mark. To this sum must be added the value of the 64 sections at Riverton donated by Sir Robert Anderson. Donations received at The Southland Tinies Office yesterday totalled £241, bringing the total that has been subscribed at this office in four days to £679.

The object of the fujid is to present to the British Government a sum of money sufficient to buy two or more fighter aeroplanes which will bear the name of Southland and will be flown in action by Southland pilots. This object has the approval of the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) and of the New Zealand Government, which has undertaken to make the necessary arrangements with the British Government once the money has been raised.

In £ statement yesterday the chairman of the Fighter Aeroplane Committee (Mr W. D. McKenzie) said that while the committee was most grateful for the support given to the appeal by Mr W. M. C. Denham, M.P., there could be no question of the money subscribed being diverted, as Mr Denham had suggested, to the purchase of aeroplanes for New Zealand.

“Our whole object,” said Mr McKenzie, “and the object of the supporters of the fund is to make a gesture of goodwill to Britain, to help her in the front-line fight against the Nazi tyran- ' ny. We want to feel that we are helping to carry Britain’s burden, even though we can only shoulder a very small fraction of it. And in doing so, we want to place the name of Southland in the first line of Britain’s defences—the fighter squadrons.” • Mr McKenzie said that when the appeal was launched the committee wa4 fully aware of the fact that it could not increase the number of aeroplanes at Britain’s disposal. “But surely,” he added, “it is our duty to do everything possible to assist and encourage the Motherland in her critical hour, and any funds we can place at her disposal will be accepted in this spirit.” Contributions may be sent to the provincial patriotic treasurer, the town clerk (Invercargill) or to the editor of The Southland Times. To avoid confusion all subscriptions should be plainly marked “Southland Fighter Aeroplane Fund.” SOUTHLAND TIMES LIST For the sake of clarity and convenience the list of subscriptions received at The Southland Times office is published separately, as follows:—

COMMITTEE’S LIST Subscriptions received by the provincial patriotic treasurer and through other agencies are:— ' £ s d

STOCK AUCTIONED FOR PLANE FUND Several offers of stock for the Southland Fighter Aeroplane Fund were made at the Lorneville stock sale yesterday. A pet lamb, which had previously brought £lO2 at the Invercargill Stock and Wool Brokers’ Association’s patriotic effort, was this time submitted for the Fighter Plane Fund. When first put up yesterday it brought £2/10/-; later it changed hands at £2/15/-, £l/15/- and finally for £l/10/—a total of £B/10/-. A fat bullock given by Mr William Lindsay, Wallacetown, brought £l7 for the fund and a dairy heifer given by Mrs E. Rance, Waimatuku, added another £lO.

GIFTS FROM COLONIAL EMPIRE EAST INDIA GIVES EIGHT SPITFIRES (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, July 15. Further gifts have been received towards the war funds from the Colonial Empire. The Colonial Secretary (Lord Lloyd) has advised the Governor of Nigeria (Sir John Shuckburgh') of his grateful acceptance of £lO,OOO from the “Win the War” Fund, which gift follows soon after the Nigerian Government’s donation of £lOO,OOO. The sum of £45,000 has been subscribed within four days to the Governor of Fiji’s appeal for funds with which to purchase bombers for Britain. The sum already received is equal to the cost of two such aircraft. From the Legislative Council of Nyassaland comes £32,850 for purchasing military aircraft. An appeal sponsored for the same purpose by the Mauritius Press Association drew 382,296 rupees. An appeal sponsored by The South China Morning Post and The Hong Kong Telegraph for the purchase of war planes has risen to 800,000 dollars.

Eight Spitfires, bought for Britain by the East India Fund for the British war services, took the air this afternoon after a cheque for £55,000 on account of payment had been handed to the Under-Secretary for Air (Captain‘H. H. Balfour).

£ s d ALREADY ACKNOWLEDGED 438 0 0 Mr and Mrs S. J. B. Hill 1 1 9 S.S.I. 10 0 0 O.B. 5 0 0 Mr and Mrs G. B. Millar 10 0 0 B. and E.M. 0 10 0 Mrs John McQueen 25 0 0 Mrs Douglas Maxwell 10 0 0 Mr and Mrs P. Drummond (Five Rivers) 50 0 0 Mr and Mrs J. Robson, sen. (Tokanui) 5 0 0 Thomas Harrison 5 0 0 E. Fitzgibbon (Ryal Bush) N. 412-Late A.I.F. 5 0 0 H. Knowles, sen. (Te Wae Wae) 20 0 0 Mataura Paper Mill Employees’ Dance Committee 10 0 0 E. M. Spratt (Bayswater) 5 0 0 Mr and Mrs A. P. Gerrard (Barkly) 25 0 0 Mr and Mrs J. E. Chaplin 1 1 0 A.M.R. i) 0 0 T.C.R. 1 1 0 Soldier’s Mother 1 0 0 Mrs W- G. Leckie 2 0 0 Brown Owl Milk Bar 10 0 0 Southland Lady Pilot 10 0 0 S.E.P. 5 0 0 Mr and Mrs J. W. McNatty 5 0 0 Mr and Mrs E. G. Bailey (South Hillend) 5 0 0 Annie McKenzie 5 5 0 Mr and Mrs Arthur Anderson 5 0 0 TOTAL TO DATE 679 18 0

ALREADY ACKNOWLEDGED 1337 9 6 Mrs Alex Gerrard a 0 0 J. L. Munro (Waituna) 10 0 0 J.P. 1 1 0 David Smith 2 2 0 William Farnie (143 Yarrow street) 20 0 0 J. R. Maclean 5 0 0 TOTAL TO DATE 1380 12 G GRAND TOTAL 2060 10 6