THE FUND'S OVERSEAS PURCHASES DEPARTMENT.
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A Development of our Organization, which is being Widely Welcomed by A.S.C., M.T., Officers and Men on Active Service, who are Already Taking Great Advantage of It.
Something Like Appreciation.
We reproduce below a very gratifying example of the letters which are reaching ns regarding the facilities which we have been able to provide in connection with the Overseas Purchases Department of the Campaign Comforts Fund. In this particular instance we were asked to supply tins of roast turkey, bottles of Camp coffee, tins of Devonshire cream, Madeira cake, and nut-milk chocolate. The order was received late on the 16th inst., and was despatched on the 18th inst., arriving at the Front on the 22nd inst.
" I am awfully grateful for your kindness and trust in sending me the parcel, the remittance for which I am enclosing. T am deeply indebted to you for the speed with which you dealt with my request, and am more than ever indebted to you inasmuch as you have sent these things without waiting for a cash payment, and having only my word as security. After this excellent treatment at your hands, we shall in future use no other agency but yours for the despatch of anything to be sent wit to us. I enclose with the remittance for the things purchased a small contribution towards your excellent Fund."-358 Co., MT., A. S. C., G.11, Q.
An Important Comfort.
Promptitude and personal attention in this way is undoubtedly proving to be a very great boon to the men of the A.S.C., M.T., and we already have indications that facilities of this kind are likely to prove to be as important a comfort to the men, whose interests the Fund has had in mind all these months, as anything we have been able to do for them hitherto.
With the best will in the world, big stores and agencies do not appear to be able to give the personal and prompt attention to orders of this and other kinds which the organization of our Fund is enabled to offer.
An Obvious Development.
The whole thing is a legitimate and obvious development of the Fund's activities, and it has been evolved solely as the result of our receiving during past months from time to time individual requisitions for assistance by officers and men alike in connection with purchases and various services which they require to be undertaken at home, and for which they have no means ready at hand. These requests gradually grew in number and in importance, and, in order that they might be handled with the thoroughness which we would desire, we decided to systematize a scheme which would take care of the private Overseas re; ouirements of the A.S.C.. M.T.. and in that way we came to establish the Overseas Purchases Department of the Fund.
We have already mentioned a few of the purchases which we have been asked to make on behalf of our friends in the A.S.C., M.T., and it should be note: 1340
that these activities are confined to requests which come from men Overseas. The Fund can, much .as it would like to, take no care of the Corps while it is in home depots. It will be interesting perhaps to list some of the purchases which have been made already in these early days of the department. It is confidently anticipated, from the correspondence which has already taken place in this connection, that the facilities we offer will be taken increased advantage of, day by day, and week by week. It will be our endeavour to render this branch of our activities as valuable to the men—in whom, through us, the industry and its sympathisers have taken BO great an interest ever since war broke out—as the original and main activities of the Fund have been from the commencement.
Ice-making Machines, Guitars, Typewriters and Iodine!
The following is a list of a number of the purchases already negotiated ; they will interest our readers :Footballs., jerseys, hose, etc., hockey sticks, complete brass band, harmonium, waders, driving gloves, golf 1?,alls, mouth organs, songs, kazoos, draughtboards, iodine, orchestral music, gramophone repairs, collodion, chess, typewriters, vellum for side drums, nuskin, writing. pads,. sparklets, ice-making machine, guitar, health-'Salts, H.M.V. gramophone, enamelled plates, cigarettes (11,000), thigh boots, hotel accommodation, Primus stoves, Keating's powder, riding breeches, floating golf balls, roast turkey (tins), Devonshire cream (tins), bottled coffee, cake, chocolate, golf set, matting wicket, etc., etc.