The Wanganui Chronicle. "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." TUESDAY, MAY 13th, 1919. THE Y.M.C.A WAR WORK IN ENGLAND AND PRANCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 17569, 13 May 1919, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." TUESDAY, MAY 13th, 1919. THE V.M.C.A WAR WORK IN ENGLAND AND PRANCE.

The last overseas mail to hand brings Us a copy of "The New Zeaiander," the paper which throughout the greater part of the war period has had a wide circulation amongst our troops. Of special interest in the number before us is the aggregate balance-sheet of the V.M.C.A., covering the wflole of the Association's war work transactions in London from Ist May, 1916, to 30th November, 1918, accompanied by tho N.Z. Commissioner's report thereon. In his report, the Honorary Commissioner, Mr W. H. George, states that this aggregate balance-sheet and statement of accounts summarises the whole of the details of receipts and expenditure contained in the three previous audited statements, dated respectively 31st May, 1917, 31st May, 1918, and 30th November, 1918, and accounts for the whole expenditure on operations of the New Zealand Y.M.C.A. in France and England during trie entire period of active warfare. Tho total receipts during the period cove rod by tho balance-sheet were £169,570, made up of £163,800 sent from Now Zealand, and £5779 of sundry receipts in London. It is specially worthy of note that the canteen trading profits, amounting to £15,214, are not included

in the above receipts. They were carried d'rect to the Free Comforts Account to be expended as provided for in a resolution of the London Executive, i.e., on additional free comforts for men in the forward areas. 'The Free Comforts Account- shows that, in addition to the trading profit a furthoi

sum of £31.280 was expended out of the

New Zealand V.M.C.A. War Funds, making a total outlay on free comforts of £46,505. The expenditure has be?n j grouped under two main headings, viz : j Headquarters administration, £3426; j and field expenditure, £118,297. When j the many ramifications of the work are j taken into account, and the amount! of supervision and accounting involved j thereby (including the construction,! equipment, and maintenance of the nu-1 merous huts, tents, dug-outs, and other centres in the forward areas in France occupied successively by the New Zealand Division, and in the various camps | in England, together with three hostels I in London and two in Paris; and m | addition the running of canteens in j most of the huts and dug-outs, with a; turnover last year of over £143,000), it will, we think, be freely conceded | that the Honorary Commissioner is fully justified in claiming that the administration has been carried out with commendable economy. Out of a total <if £118,000 expended on field work, ovoi one-half (£62,249) has been spent in providing huts, tents, dug-outs and equipment and maintenance, over onequarter (£31,220) has gone to supplement the Free Comforts Fund, leaving less than one-quarter to cover the whole coat of maintaining a staff of over 40 secretaries and 150 other members ol personnel, and an active programme oi entertainments, religious and educational work, free distributiou of stationery, literature, etc. A liberal contribution has also been made to the work of the International Hospitality League, which is carried "on jointly with the British, American, Canadian and Australian Y.M.C.A.'s. who share the cost of providing the numerous inquiry bureaux and social centres scattered about London at the main arteries of traffic, also a large street patrol of both sexes. Thousands of private homes throughout the country are made available for the welcome of soldiers from, overseas through the agency of this League, which has branches in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, etc., and has undoubtedly rendered invnlua^e service to thousands of our men. The whole of the funds accounted for have been expended under the direct control of the London Executive of the New Zealand National Council, amongst New Zealand troops, on buildings, maintenance and equipment necessary to carry out such work efficiently, and activities connected therewith. Wherever our huts aikl buildings have been within reach of our Allied troops, in accordjince with the world-wide principle of Ihe V.M.C.A., which is reciprocal, thoy hays also been made available to British, American, Canadian, and Australian troops. Tine Commissioner's explanation of the Association's canteen trading policy affords a complete <jnswer to such criticism as has beer voiced from time to time by people not acquainted with the facts concerning that important branch of the Association"9 work. Mr/ George says: Since the inception of'Y.M.C.A. work amongst the troops, the provision of refreshments and other requirements not usually stocked in Army canteens has been found to be absolutely essential. When our Division arrived in France and England, our men at first used huts aii'l canteens erected and run by the British V.M.C.A. The British Association (financed the undertaking, and any profit arising was retained by them, and expended on their work amongst Allied troops generally. In November, 1917, however, finding that adequate supplies for canteens were not always forthcom-

ing, we considered it necessary, in the

interests of the men 3 to erect our own huts and canteens, not for the sake of any profit arising therefrom, as we had all along been provided with suffcient funds by the people of New Zealand to render us quite independent of that source of revenue, but because we felt sure we could serve the men more eflv-j ciently if we had the control of the canteens in our own hands. This policy was approved by both General Richardson and General Russell." From a letter recently received from General Russell the Commissioner quotes the following extract: "I should like to add a few words in support of the policy your Association followed. The supply lof stores became a matter of urgent I necessity directly we reached ihe Amiens sector. I was compelled to sen-1 lorrieg in any miles into back areas in the endeavour to provide the necessary stocks for the divisional canteens, and then could not get nearly as much as was demanded by the troops. When the system of rationing canteen stores -was introduced m the 3rd Army, an<i lorries were no longer allowed to go back into back areas to search for supplies, the shortage was increased, and I gladly welcomed the assistance the V.M.C.A. were able to give in supplying the men with necessities —and th's i!j spito of the fact that I had been pei*jsonally against the V.M.C.A. running i canteens except for the purpose of refreshments. This h?lp was badly wanted and willingly given by tho V.M.C.A. I right through the advance. It was in- ' valuable. The same conditions applied on the Rhine on our arrival." The Commissioner thinks the above extract will be sufficient to satisfy contributors to V.MC.A. War Funds that the responsible officers of the Association were quit© justified in adopting the above policy. The trading returns show that on the whqje the experiment has been satisfactory The gross profit on the turnover wa« 14.50 per cent., the working expenses 3.Pi rx>r rent., lonvirs'r n net profit of 10.68 per cont.. the whole of which has bpon returned to the men in frve comforts. Tn concluding his report, tht> Commissioner says: "Tn conclusion T faf-1 I should not be doimc justice if T fniled to record my tribnfc of appreciation to the work of the Suoorvisinir Secretaries. "Mr Hutrhea and Mr Hiiv, and their staff. On every sid<\ from tho 0.0.C.'s and other Commanders, flown to men in tli-» rmik nn.l fil-». repentoVliv T. have had expressed to ni' 1 great appreciation ;tnd admiration c!

the work that has been done by them, and to these unsolicited testimonials I, as a representative of the National Council, must add my own. Having bad opportunity daily and hourly-dur-ing the pass sis months, both at the front in France and in England, of Ke«s-! ing the manifold operations controlled from the London Headquarters, I consider the people of New Zealand owe n aeep debt of gratitude to the V.M.C. A.. personnel for the resourceful and energetic manner in which they have carried through the strenuous and arduous work involved in seeking to ameliorate j to some extent the severe privations our men have had to endure under thoj stress and strain of war -conditions. Doubtless more might have been done. in many directions if the stuff, material j and money had been doubled, or even j quadrupled, but I do not think any «et j of men could have done the work bett r or more efficiently under existing circumstances." As we have said, both the balance-sheet and the Commissioner's report make pleasant reading. Thfcsplendid work of the Association is now rapidly drawing to a close; the men are being returned rapidly, and in ft few months " Finis" will have to be written to the,work of the New Zealand Y.M.C.A. overseas. It is to be hoped that it may also mean the opening of a new development in New Zealand that will absorb the energies and services of :d\ the capable men who have been working ''over there." It is perhaps desirable that we should note, in conclusion, that the present review covers only the Association's work irt England and France, and thus constitutes only a portion of the complete balance-sheet which will eventually be issued from the Wellington headquarters, covering the whole of the work in New Zealand and Egypt, as well as that with which the present balance-sheet deals.