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Radio Telephone Appeal A radio telephone appeal was again conducted, with the co-operation of the Broadcasting and Post and Telegraph authorities. The following table shows the amounts donated to each of these appeals during the war years : £ 1941 .. .. .. .. 50,000 1942 .. .. .. .. 176,000 1944 .. .. .. .. 74,313 1945 .. .. .. .. 66,169 £366,482 In 1942 the appeal lasted one week, with broadcast progress reports each night, and •culminated in a direct radio telephone appeal. From 1943 to 1944 names of donors ■could not be broadcast, for security reasons, and in 1943 no national radio telephone appeal was conducted. War Library Service From September, 1939, to March, 1943, the War Library Service, under the honorary •control of Mr. Gr. T. Alley, collected and distributed to camps and stations 206,233 books .and 223,016 periodicals. These were mostly the proceeds from donated stocks and patriotic book drives, supplemented by purchases from Patriotic Funds. From March, 1943, to 30th September, 1945, the work was transferred to the Army Education Welfare Service. Book drives were continued, and to the end of the war approximately 72,653 books and 260,779 periodicals were collected and distributed by the Army Education Welfare Service, apart from local issues—making a grand total of approximately 750,000 publications distributed to the Forces. This total is apart from a large number of newspapers and weekly publications supplied direct by the Board to camps in New Zealand and overseas. Postal Tobacco and Chocolate Schemes From the inception of both these schemes to 30th September, 1945, 140,321 parcels -of cigarettes and tobacco were packed by voluntary women workers and forwarded overseas, and 144,469 packs of chocolate were despatched. The Board would like to place on record its appreciation of the work carried out by Mrs. B. Reid, as convenor of the Ladies' Packing Committee, and to all those ladies who so assiduously assisted her throughout the war years. It would also like to record its appreciation of the assistance given these two schemes by the Retail Tobacconists' Association, the Post and Telegraph Department, Messrs. Cadbury, Fry, Hudson, Ltd., and Nestles Anglo-Swiss Co., Ltd., without whose co-operation the schemes would not have functioned so successfully. Naval Comforts Naval Rescue Kits. —With the assistance of branches of the Navy League, the Board supplied each of H.M.N.Z. ships with a stock of rescue kits in three sizes for immediate issue to men rescued from abandoned ships. Naval Blue Bags.—These were special issues to all naval men proceeding overseas. The bag contained hussifs, balaclava, scarf, mittens, body-belt, seaboot stockings, two pairs socks, handkerchiefs, and a pullover. Individual woollen articles were supplied to men in New Zealand. General Issues to Naval Men.—The variety of patriotic issues to H.M.N.Z. ships and to visiting Allied Navy and Merchant Navy ships and stations is impressive, and is typical of issues to other Services. These included woollen comforts ; indoor games ; gramophones and records ; playing-cards ; books and magazines ; pianos and other musical instruments ; handkerchiefs ; fruit; cigarettes; chairs ; billiard-tables ;

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