THE WORK OF THE SALVATION ARMY

Wairoa Bell, Volume XXXI, Issue 215, 11 January 1918, Page 2

THE WORK OF THE SALVATION ARMY

Among the organisations that have realised the need for the establishment and maintenance of agencies that igrnister to the eomforts of the soldier, both in the training camps and at the front, as well *as in other respects, the Salvation Army has taken a very high place. Its organisation helped it from the.very beginning of hostilities to undertake measures for the opening of Institutes and Hutments and I’est Camps for the convenience of the soldiers, and for the pro vision of the JR-e----freshment and Be creation that are acknowledged to be of inestimable value in preservation of the fitness of the Fighting men of the .Empire. And not only has there been no relaxation of its efforts but there has been a steady expansion of its efforts from that time to the present. The Salvation Army, it is needless to say, has no material resources behind it. What is done by it is done in the faitli that the public, recognising the value of the services performed to the Army, will supply it with the means ■ that will enable it to carry on its ini- • mensely useful and important work, j and its faith has not been misplaced.. ! There is no temptation to compare | the War activities of the* - Salvation Army with those of other organisations that are doing similar work, perhaps to \ some extent in the same way, for all are-rendering a service to the National, cause of which the value cannot be reckoned in mere money, and all merit the substantial support of the community. 'But the Salvation Army is more dependent than any of the others on the practical support of the a whole, for the simple reason that its owji members are, for sufficiently obvious reasons, unable to supxily it with the finance that is necessary for the continuance of its activities. It is the more entitled to credit on.that account for the remarkable success and development of its war w.ork. \ At the present time arrangements are being completed for the raising of £35,000 by means of a Patriotic Appeal throughout the Dominion for the War Work of the Salvation Army, and which it is intended to allocate as follows For Comforts for New Zealand sold-! iers and Hosx>ital work at Home and 1 at the front, £IO,OOO. I For Maintaining and Extending our ■ War work in New Zealand, £IO.OOO. j For an additional Hostel for New Zealand soldiers in England or France £3000.• * . ! For additional Hutments for New Zea land soldiers in England . or France, £2OOO. v j For six additional Motor Ambulances and Maintenance in France, £5000.' Towards Hostel Accommodation for j Be turned Soldiers now in course of erection in Wellington, £SOOO. i Bight throughout the Dominion the Appeal is being taken up heartily .and a host of ladies and gentlemen have pledged .earnest support and heartiest co-operation. Various committees' at-, ready, formed are arranging schemes, ! whilst new .workers are being linked up to make the Ax>peal all the success it deserves to be. a Quite a number of the Patriotic 'Leagues throughout the Dominion have made.’contributions from their Funds to the Army’s War work, being thoroughly satisfied in the Army’s ability to-dispense it in the most economical method. The Otago Patriotic Association has just given £SOO. \ The Salvation Army has the machinery for doing the work, and their, balance sheets are a credential of the highest order: Figures' are cold things and are quite incaxiable of' conveying all the War work done by the Salvation Army in our own land and abroad.. The following, statistics will, however, give our readers some idea of the magnitude of their work for our Service men : 300,000 men in the Naval and Military are being helped each week. 100,000 men attend services held on their behalf at the Front weekly. 50 motor ambulances are in constant use at the Front. These cars are manned by Salvationists and each holds 3 men. -y Over 150,000. wounded men have been carried in these cars. Several hundreds .of refreshment huts and recreation huts, as' well as hostels and hutments have been built in England and France, costing £200,000. ** 000 officers and 1000 eiui>loyees- are wholly employed in War work. 100,000 Service men are housed nightly in Salvation Army hostels. •3 Chaplains are serving with the N. Z.E.F. Five of these are abroad, and three are in N.Z, Camps.

30,000 relatives of Service ineu have been entertained at teas and social gatherings. Over 50,000 parcels have been delivered to British prisoners in Germany. This has been accomplished through the Salvation Army Headquarters in Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, etc. At Rotorua the Salvation Army has „i veu £SOO towards the erection of the Ring George Hospital,.and in addition have provided for the returned men a fully equipped institute with all facilities Everything is provided free tc the men, and last week Siiii morning and af-ernoon teas and suppers were served There is also a motor launch seating 25 men and a motor car provided to o-ive the wounded men trips on the hikes and surroundings. -y returned S.A. Officer, who lost one of his legs on the battlefield, is in etar<ve of the Institute. Another phase of the Army’s War work, and a very worthy one, is the fact that over 60 Orphans of .Soldiers are being housed and trained in the Vl'liiv 7 s Boys and Girls’ Homes. 2060 acres of land has been donated, situated at i’utaruru, and this is being made into an agricultural training farm for our' own and' our allies orphans. Boys will be trained as farmers and girls as domestics. At the War Orphanage at Temuka a school costing £IOOO and donated by Mrs. T. H- Dowry, of Hastings, which is specially for the educating of these children, has recently been opened. In our Province, the Army has orphanages for the children of fighting and Fallen .Soldiers at Russell (for Boys!, and Herne Bay (for girls;. Staff Captain Mary Bootoli, who .is the eldest daughter of the present General, is on duty in France, and keeps a staff of TO ty pistes at work dealing with the Inquiry Department. By this means thousands of relatives are constantly informed concerning their boys at the Front, and also regarding the whereabouts of the graves of our fallen heroes. The Salvation Army has not only attended to the wants of and his children, but special provision has been made for his relatives. In close proximity to the Camps at Featherstoai there is the reliaiive Hostel, where extensive accommodation is provided for the bothers and wives and sisters of our men whilst they are in training. Only 7 relatives of soldiers are accommodated and no. one is allowed to stay over four weeks. All hospitals and sanitoriuois are visited weekly by women officers and comforts provided. Hospital ships and returning; troopships are met on arrival by an Army Chaplain and any assistance offered. Sewing guilds meet weekly in the local coipjs and make garments which are distributed by the Army Chaplains at the Front. New Zealand's first chaplain—now Chaplain-Major Greene, M.C., 4s the G C. of the Gifts section, under General i Richardson, in .London, and is spoken of in the highest terms. In fact, this is the compliment paid to all Army workers. Hundreds of .Enquiries have been made for anxious relatives regarding their wounded and missing loved ones, s with very satisfactory results. Two married eoux>les (S.A. Captains/, were despatched specially from New? Zealand last year to take charge of hutments. One of the couples is in charge of a hutment on Salisbury Plain where the N.Z. Reinforcements are drafted upon their arrival at England, and the other couple is located at a hutment at the N. Z. base in France.: Of the many splendid tributes paid to the Salvation Army for its War work we cull the following : : Field Marshall Viscount French : “Of all the organisations that have • come into existence during the past 50 years, none have done nor work, or achieved better resuits.ln- all parts of the Empire, than the Salvation Army. In particular, its activities have been of the very greatest benefit to the soldiers in this war." Hon. Arthur Stanley, Chairman .Brit-! ish Fed Cross : —* 1 All are doing - splenbut perhaps I may acknowledge especially the good work of tlie Salvu-i tion Army Corps. We value very highly 'not only their cars, but the men who are sent with them, who have a marked influence for good upon all with 1 whom they come in contact. I hear no - ‘ thing but good reports of their work wherever they may be, and I *am glad and proud to think that the red jersey and the Fed Cross are found together in works of mercy and compassion. ’ ’ Lieutenant-General Sir Frf^uans-Lloyd —" When I want a thing* done and turn to the Salvation Army it is done. They are a most unselfish people."Colonel J. ’Eastwood, Boulogne.—"l cannot speak too highly - of the way in which your Adjutant and his wife have worked for the good of the men hero. AH, including- the officers, are loud in thoir praises. The grepf thing about all your people is that they are all so very human, ■' Lord Derby 7-, Secretary of State for "War .-—‘ 1 The splendid work which the Salvation Army has done among the Soldiers during the War is one for which I, as Secretary of State for War, should like to thank them most sincerely ; it is a work which is deserving of ail support. All good wishes for yo:v| success."