GIFTS TO SOLDIERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVII, Issue 16620, 27 August 1918, Page 5

GIFTS TO SOLDIERS.

To ilie Editor of the'*Tinuau Herald." Sir,——Tho enclosed letter and statenient liavo been received hy mv coiamittce from Lieutenant-CaloneTH. S. Stewart, Officer Commanding 2nd Battaoon, Canterbury lnf;intry Regiment. As the communications are likely to fce of interest to many of your readers who subscribed a year ago to the Soldiers' Christmas Fund, the committee invito you to publish them in the "Herald." Last year the sum of £lll was subscribed in this district to thai; fluid, £25 being sent to the South Canterbury Rifles in Palestine, and £B6 to firigsdier-General Richardson for the men in France. General Richardsou, after consulting tho officers of the Canterbury Regiment, decided that the best interests of the men would 1 o served by giving tho money to the regimental funds. The sum of ~£S6 was therefore divided between two battalions of the regiment. Colonel Stewart in the enclosed communications. explains to the complete satisfaction of the. committee, tin? expenditure of the £43 given to iiis battalion. —I am, etc., ARTHUR H. XORRIS, , Hon. tec., Tcmuka Patriotic Enter- ! tainment Committee. The Vicarage, Temuka, August 21. [Extract.] 2nd Battalion, Canterbury Regiment. May 15, 191 S. Tcinuka Patriotic Entertainment Committee, — I enclose herewith for your information tl:e financial statement, duly audited, of Uie fluids of this battalion for the past financial year. For the most pan I think it is stlf-explaua-tory, but a or two ou a few points :r-av not be out of place. On the receipts side, the payments hv the Haul ; were mr.de hy virtue of an agreement with flu? individual bandsman, whereby j --5 per cent, of the cost price of instri:- [ nient should be paid by hi in, and on [ demobilisation the instrument should lreronie his property. The receipts for dripping were obtained from the surplus fat in the meat ration, whicli is melted down :tnd sent to railhead :>nder _ battalion ari-augomcnis for transmission to munition fartcries. Tt is paid for at the rate of 35 centimes per lb. On the expenditure side the purchase of band instruments was a heavy charge, but a necessary and nonrecurrent one. The value of a band or marches and in billets is veiv high, and its recuperative effect on tho mor.->l of all ranks who have l»een expired to the trenches is inestimable. In u v letter which aeoomnanied last year"? statement, f emphasised •'he need of supplementing the issue of rations i:y extras. such as porridge, vo-Tetab\.;. «tc. Tl>o sielv rate of the Xew Zenland Division lias been at times a sr-ureo of anxiety to the authorities Prohnblv climatic reasons have same hearing on this, but it is aho geno» , aHv agreed that the Army ratio"' wliioh i< :v rrenerous allowance for the "Kn"l"s'» is not more than r><loouato for 'lie Xew Zo.ilander. All the in th« Held appreciate this,, and tliico battalions which are not harked be Nov.- Zealand subscript ions find it. nocesssary to call on tho men "•'vts i-> subscribe for J'iU wirrisv Thinks to f'<e generosuv of the Can-j feilinry puhUc. our men have not •v-.U-.>d to put their hands in jhoV ;.oek<-is for tlioso extras, exconr. on oii« I rr iwo <=po<-al occasions. Ohr'stni;^ Tin v. etc.. and ;hen under purely vi!untary company a trance moiits. a" mo=.* committee being appointed l>i" ilie men,

themselves who administer such fundsi. English battalions arc similarly largely supported by local patriotic associations. Many young officers and men return to New Zealand without liavini; become conversant with the way in which battalion funds are expended on' these extra rations, and nnwittingfo] - or carelessly create or confirm an ides* - that the money so expended is insignificant. It is very far from my wish. «o minimise the claim returned soldiers have on funds subscribed by the NewZealand public. But I earnestly trust that the Committee in its allocation - of such funds will not over-look the really pressing needs of the men in France, who undergo not merclv " - danger, which cannot be helped, jsuV continual hardships and privations, which can be largely alleviated by com-. . forts generally, and especially by good j.nd abundant food. If yonr committee should desire further .detailed information on any point I should be very glid to supply it; or should any sup--, gestion be made re expenditure, I would see that it would be given effect to as far as practicable. On behalf of oil ranks I tender very sincere rhanlcs for the generous support hitherto accorded us, not merely in respect to monetary donations, but also in respect to the many invaluable gifts in kind such as cakes, tobacco and giffi parcels generally. , Your committer may be assured that these gifts are r-quitably distributed, and deeply appreciated. I should be grateful if yon would give_ the widest publicity possible to this letter and accompanying" statement.

H. STUART, lient-ColoneL Commanding 2nd Battalion, Center*, bury Regiment. Accompanying the foregoing was ai statement of receipts and expenditures of the 2nd Battalion Canterbury Regiment from Ist April 1917, to 31ss March 1918.

The receipts were—Balance at 31-3-j 17, £l4O 8s od, grants from cantee-i 1 Battalion £SO, payments for band in- - strum en ts £164 6s 9d, sales of dripping . £72 9s Id, donations from 3Earlboit>ugh, (six sums>_ £3OO, Temuka £43, sundry leceipts £55 3s 3d; total receipts £1127 ISs Id.

The expenditure was—Band instruments £369 8s 3d, extras for men'smess—oatmeai £9l 6s, potatoes £153 ]Bs, milk £3 Os 2d, vegetables £lls " 15s, cocoa £2 4s, baking powder £4 Ge lid, curry £2O lis 7d, custard andpuddings £43 Is Sd; total £435 17s 4dj - Comforts for men—Thermos flasks.. £34 7s6d, straw for bedding £9 4s lid, sports material and prizes £ls 14s cigarettes and matches £4 7s sd. torches and' refills £5 2s Gd, month. - organs £1 13s, brass band, fund £2 Ss 3d. extras at schools £9 13a 4d; total £B2 lis Bd. v Regimental expenses: Company fcni?3 1-rushes, boot and button, polishes,., lamps, battalion patches, claims, pain;, iron for shelter etc., £Bl 4s 2d. Stationery—Roll books, cash box, repairs to typewriter and sundries, £ls . „ lis od.

The forego : ni; left KiLinw^ —areonnii " with base pnyn)astcr £12017s 3d, casK in hand £22 ISs Id.