WP Territories Give Freely to War Funds
p. 43 · Read in the full issue
War Funds
SINCE the outbreak of war, residents in every Pacific Islands community, without exception, have given gen erously to the various war funds. The following details of contributions from the territories under the control of the Western Pacific High Commission ap
peared in the official gazette recently:—
Tonga.—Red Cross and St. John Fund, £ 1,057; General War Effort Fund, £1,346; Comforts Fund, £420; Plane Fund, £6,665 (forwarded to London to purchase RAF fighter plane, to be named “Queen Salote”) ; total, £9,488.
Gilbert and Ellice Colony.—British War Fund (given by Ocean Islanders for the purchase of anti-aircraft guns for Britain), £ 12.500; British Red Cross and St. John Fund, £1,390; Aus tralian Red Cross, £232; Australian Comforts Fund, £221; Air Raid Distress Fund, £3B; Raised by Ladies’ Committee, £136; Mobile Canteen Fund, £652 i £250 from Fanning Island); General War Effort Fund, £100; total, £15,269.
Solomon Islands.—British Red Cross and St.
John Fund, £1,484; Spitfire Fund, £1,579; total, £3,063.
New Hebrides.—British and Free French Red Cross Funds, £703; Miscellaneous Funds, £114; Empire War Effort, £10; Air Raid Distress Fund, £227; General de Gaulle’s Spitfire Fund, £66; total, £1,119.
Pitcairn Island—34o walking sticks for the use of British wounded soldiers; NZ Government War Effort, £4B (proceeds of sale of 47 cases of oranges).
Nauru. —No less a sum than £ 1,207 has been raised by the Nauruan Patriotic Society (all native), between October 28, 19'39, and October 31, 1941. £2OO of this has gone to the London Lord Mayor’s Fund, and £9OO to the Australian Red Cross. It must be remembered that there are only 1,700 Nauruans altogether, and more than half of them are children. At one stage the Nauruans wanted to present £lO,OOO out of their accumulated (phosphate royalty) funds to British war funds, but the Administrator, in view of all considerations, did not encourage the plan.