THE CHURCH ARMY

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160725, 11 August 1920, Page 4

THE CHURCH ARMY

“SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND.” The effort commenced in Hawke’s Bay by the Church Army to collect funds for the starving children of Central Europe, advertised in another column, is being taken up elsewhere. In the Marlborough County our local secretary writes;— To the Editor, —Will you kindly permit me through the Press to ask for a large attendance of the general public at the Foresters’ Hall, Picton, next Thursday, so that a worthy effort may be organised for the saving of some of the 3 % million starving children in Europe.—(Signed) J. Quintrell, hon. sec. C.A. for Marlborough. (Picton, Aug. 3, 1920.) £SO was sent to headquarters through B.N.Z. for money received from July 21st to Aug. sth. On August 6th from Tauranga £2 10/-, from Kuatoru £1 5/-, from Napier £SO. This second fifty will he sent off August 9tlr. “A Mother” from Tauranga, enclosing £5, adds: “Everyone should deny themselves something for the sake of these starving children—poqr dears.”—> Yours sincerely, F. W. WHITLEY, Hon. Sec. Church Army, NJZ. The Vicarage, Ormondville. The 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. 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 of loving care?” 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 universal disease, and paper cloth-, ing and paper bandages have to be used. There is no vaseline or ointments to treat bed-sores and other ills caused by the malnutrition of babies.”

Madame Milyuka says that "in some districts in Russia the mortality among children reaches 95 per cent. Milk cannot he obtained, and no soap to wash children’s clothes.” Mr Hoover wrote to The Times, saying that there were a million under-nourished children in Poland. Lady Muriel Padget told a Times representative that in one district of 60,000 in Czecho-Slavika 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 Bald; “I •commehd to the efforts of all Englishspeaking people the starving young children. There are more.than 3% millions in Europe who will die if not provided with milk. This will have to be done by private charities.” I shall be glad to receive contributions or results of acts and selfdenial for the sake of others. New Zealand has escaped the ravages of war, and many in it could deny themselves of luxuries to* help.—• Yours, etc., P. W. WHITLEY, Hon. Sec. Church Army, N.Z. Address: The Vicarage, Ormondville, H.B.