SAILORS' COMFORTS FUND.

White Ribbon, Volume 25, Issue 291, 18 September 1919, Page 7

SAILORS' COMFORTS FUND.

1 lie following letters have been for* waided for publication:— Wakefield House, jj, Cheapside, London, K.C. 2, June nth, 1919. Dear .Mrs Nimmo, I am writing to thank you and all those members of the Women’s Chris tian Temperance Association, New Zealand, who helped you, for the most magnificent contribution which you have sent for our mine-sweepers. I’he beautiful woollen clothing which you have sent will indeed bo very, very Useful, because for the rc-t of this year these men will be going out and attending to their perilous work,' which i> so necessary in the interests of our shipping. Wc all feel that the comforts which .ire sent over by you are of the very best, and 1 can assure you that those you sent over last year have been of untold value to Us, and have been appreciated more than 1 can tell you by the men to whom they have been given. 1 he eight cases you have now sent are, I see, still full of the same magnificent gifts, and l can see that the spirit which ha> animated all those who have worked them, and you who have ad ded to this by sending them so beautifully packed, has been that nothing too good for our splendid seamen.

I tlunk now that wc have to remember that now that peace has come, they will still be required to go on bringing in all that we require to this country and taking our people from one part of the Kmpire to the other, and that they will still be facing the perils of wind and wave in order to do so. and we are determined tl

the magnificent heroism which our >eamen have shown during the wai shall never be forgotten, and that they shall feel that the women of the Km pire are always going to look aftei their comfort and well-being, as well as they possibly can, and most certainly the members of your Union in New Zealand have led the way in sending such splendid presents for them. , Once more let me thank you ver> heartily, and ask you to convey this thanks to everyone of your members. Yours sincerely, BK AT KICK DIMSDALK, President.

N.Z. Government Udices, 415, Strand, London, W.C. 2, 22nd March, 1919. Peal Mrs Nimmo, I duly received Mr Niinuio's two letters of the 27th November and 24th December, and I only wish that I could have written you quite fully in tune for your annual meeting, telling you how your gilt has been used. However, I feel quite sure that you will understand that 1 have been very much occupied since the Armistice was signed, and it is only now that 1 am able to write you at any length; but 1 hope that you received my cabled message of the 27th February, in which 1 told you how much the gift was appreciated. 1 am now sending you a statement of expenditure,from which you will observe that most of the monex has gone towards the relief of the members of the crew of tin ill-fated Wairuna. It ccitainly was very providential that I was able to assist Mr Rees, second ottucr of the Wairuna, Mrs Mackenzie, stewardess of the Matunga, and U. Donovan, took, Wairuna, tor they landed in Kngland practically penniless, after many trying months on board the Wolff as prisoners of \ ar. Doubtless by now you have heard the full details of their story. Then, just about Christmas time, the remainder of out mercantile marine prisoners of war began to arrive, and although they were very kindlv treated by the representatives ot the owners of their ships, thete weic many little ways in which I could help the in* n to h ive a rather better time than would otherwise have been the case. Some of the men, of couise, had thcii il lative : in Kngland, but others had no fueiuN, or at any rate only knew people .it a* considerable distance from London in such cases I thought it wise to as .-.ist the men to get away from the tin moil of the < ity, and 1 either paid the fares of the men to go to Scotland atij elsewhere, 01 gave them money grants from your fund to enable them to do so. I can assure you that one and all have been very g: iteful indeed for the help that I have been able to give them through having youi wai fund at ray disposal. Mr Wray, who has been in charge o! our Prisoner., of War Departnient, tells me that ten of the crew of the Wairuna sailed for New Zealand the other day in the hospital ship Ma heno, and they may arrive in Widling ton even bcfoie you receive this letter.

l he following are the names of those on the M a heno whose needs were attended to by us: S.s. Wairuna: Eli gincer W. C». Campbell, Engineei Peter S. Isbister, Engineer W. 11 Doherty, Steward A. Thompson, Fireman Alex. Patterson, Fireman Thomas Gillard, Fireman Geo. Baird. There were three other Wairuna men on the ship, named Mitchell, Evans,

and Livermore, but as I had no evidence whilst they were in Germany that they were New Zealanders, I had not sent them any parcels. Mr Is bister and Mr Campbell both stated to Mr Wray that they would call upon you to express their thanks for the kind gifts of the Women’s Christian Temperance l ; I nion, and 1 hope very much that they will do so. lam sum that you will be very interested to hear the account of their adventures. I am holding the balance of your funds ho the present, as there are still some repatriated mercantile marine prison ci> of war who have not yet returned to New Zealand, but 1 should be glad to hear horn you as to hoxx you wish me to dispose of the remainder of the money when all have sailed for New Zealand.

I heartily *e quorate your fervent hope that a lasting peace may follow after this terrible war, for it is al most unthinkable that the fathers and mothers of our brave New Zealand lads should be again called upon l*> let their sor.s go forth to fight. In deed, after losing so many of the bravest and I* st, 1 fc*el that anothei effort such as that which has been made would be more than one ran contemplate. With kindest regards to youisclt and al| good Wishes to the Women's C hiistian lYmpciane'e* Union. Believe me, yours very truly, THUS. MACKENZIE. Mrs 11. Nimmo, British and foreign Saileirs’ Set ciety, Kent l et race, W ellington, New Zealand. Amount Cranted from H.C.'g Comforts Fund to Prisoners of War, Mercantile Marine. Debited to British and Foreign Sailors, Z- ( *> —W. (». Hicklmg, ex Wairuna, .£10; W. Carroll, £lO. Debited to War Distress Transfer, .£2OO- Foreign Office, on account of R. Donovan, cook on Wairuna, £lO 1 - /I; Agne s Mackenzie, stewardess, Matunga, £7 i<>s 11 cl ; R. C Mat thews, fireman on Wairuna, Z 5; E.

G .Hickling, j£s ; J. Long. s.s. Otnki, j^s ; G. Franklin, Wairuna, £j ios; G. Varcoc and Son, clothing for and Taylor, £ih os 2d; Harveys, clothing for Isbistcr, £lO 18s Gd. From Prisoner of War Funds Mr*Mackenzie, /Jio; K. Donovan, jfio; T, F. Rees, £\o. Mr Copus. Yariou" sums have been paid to the ( S.C.S., Ltd., f r clothing for men of i'c mcrcarfile marine. These have been debited t Cio«> previous!* donated b\ the We men’s Chnst’an Tcmpriance Crum.