SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8360, 23 July 1920, Page 1

SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND.

The Church Army was started in England by the Rev.-Wilson Carlile, in 1875. to help the poor and friendless, both in body and soul, the work being commenced with a Rescue Home. Church Army work publicly commenced in New Zealand on Ash Wednesday, 1910, as a self-denial effort for the benefit of London poor. Since then £B4l 10s 3d has been subscribed for the purpose of helping the Church Army at Home, to feed the many thousands in their Labor and Rest Homes; £7OO of this money being earmarked for Christmas dinners for children. But a more pressing need is brought under our notice since the war, consequently a “Save the Children Fund’’ has been commenced in England. In June, 1919, it was officially announced that the Treasury would provide £ for £ raised by charitable organisations in the United Kingdom for the relief of distress in Europe. Two months ago £970,000 was paid into the Treasury by the : Mansion House Fund, Church Army and others; therefore, double that i amount was available to relieve the ! distress. The Church Army sent me the particulars in a pamphlet. A 1 money subscribed in New Zealarn and forwarded to Headquarters wil receive the subsidy as if raised in tin United Kingdom. Lord Curzon says: “It is difficuli for our people to realise the extern of the suffering that still exists. The effects are seen in a scale of mortality that can hardly be measured.”

Xhe Lord Mayor of London, speaking of Asia Minor and Armenia, said: “Words fail to describe, or even faintly outline, the acute misery of the children. The funds at our disposal have been spent to the last shilling l . Child life in these regions is a life of starvation, of neglect and hopeless, drawn-out agony. Will you help to afford these thousands of little ones something of food and covering for their poor emaciated bodies, something 1 of loving care?” “Save the Children Fund” tells your readers that the war has left Serbia with 500,000 fatherless children, and of these 150,000 are quite destitute.

From Budapest, Hungary, Mr Hoover says: “There is no milk for children. Rickets is an almost uni- | versal disease, and paper clothing and paper bandages have to be used. I There is no vaseline or oint’a BehriifJ treat bedsores and other id in imn by the malnutrition of babiethe diseai Madame Milyuka says “Sier, tets some districts in Russia the m< It is among children reaches 95 per ' vay a Milk cannot be obtained, and nc. to wash children’s clothes.”

Mr Hoover wrote to “The Times,” saying there were a. million undernourished children in Poland. Lady Muriel Paget, whose mission has accomplished so much good work in Czecho-Slovakia, told a “Times” representative that in one district of 60,000 people there was only one doctor. Children do not attend school, because they have no clothes, and are too hungry to learn. Grass is used as a vegetable. Bread is made of straw, bran and wood. Mr Hoover also said: “I commend to the efforts of all English-speaking people the starving young children. There are more than 31 millions in Europe who will die if not provided with milk. This will have to be done by private charities.”

We are living l in the favored country of New Zealand, and escaped the ravages of war, and although we have many obligations, yet, could deny ourselves of luxuries to send the money so. saved to help those who cannot help themselves in devastated Europe. I shall be glad to receive contributions, or the result of any act of selfdenial for the sake of others—how-* ever small the sum may be. The money will he cabled monthly to headquarters, so pressing is the need. Yours sincerely, F. W. WHIBLEY, Hon. Sec. Church Army in N.Z. The Vicarage, Ormondville.

PRICE ONE PENNY