CORRESPONDENCE

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 2027, 28 December 1914, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE

BELGIUM'S GRATITUDE

(To the Edator.)

Sir, —For general information, may I trespass on your space to say that the following amounts have bee n cabled to •the Belgian Minister in I-orwcii through th:i> connini'tteie: September 24 .: -£il?0 Ol&tobei- 13 JOOO October 24 14C0 Novembea1 5 i£oo November '21 io')Q Lecunber 8 ~.. • . ... TOGO December 17 i 1700 December 23 2920 £15,000

And as Christmas enams a suitable time, to again express the nation's deep gratitude for .the sympathetic and. helpful aoid so generously given both through this office and other channels within my consular district.

Writing on the 3ist Oetobclr acknowledging tlie amounts received from this oonisu'Jate at that, time, H. E. Count ds Lalaing, the Belgian -Minister in London, gays:

"Oaiee again I have to ask you to convey to all kind contributors my sincere thanks for their continued evid^ once of sympathy with nvy suffering countrymen. I can assure you that h-elgnum, will never forget the help she has received from all pau'ts of the world in this houlr of 'trial, and -which has. done so much to alleviate her distress.' 5

1 desire to especially recognise the self-saicrince of. those young" psopte who, commencing with the isappy iiLspdration of Farther Tom, promptly abandoned their time-honour-ed fun on Guy Fawkes' Day, and instead collected gome: 'hundreds"of pounds, and since then boys .and girls have given up their picnios, entertainme'iits and school prize money (in this case denying thcimiselvtis the reward of the y-eair's work) to add, and they have very substantially added to the fund in "aid of distressed Belgians. Such conduct sliould ever be remembered, and I shall hav^ great pleasure in suggesting to the proper authority that tlus special feature of ithe goodwill and geinerotsiLty of young New Zealanders be brought under the niotioei of H.M. the Queen, who is now in Engliaiid.

I have tdie honouir to be, your obedient servant.

C. I. JOHXSTOX. Consul-Geuera!