The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-12
LETTERS FROM THE BOYS

 ssLetters also began to come to us, and we began to realize for the first time how badly our men had been feellng about the way the community had over looked them One letter said that the writer read the home papers, and he was more than ever sure that hlrmlnsHaiii was the most wonderful town in the world. That he saw that every patriotic effort was oversubscribed, but none or it came the way of her own men. oth- CTS thanked us for thinking Of them, even if we did not succeed III ooing anything for them. One man said: Regiments from other states pass us attired in every knitted garment that loving women knit for their men, but no enc knits for us.
 "One of Mrs. Shells questions was: What would you like us to send you that neither the Red Cross nor the gov ernnent supplies"
 "The answer, where any was gwen, was Sweets" One man says sweets ana more sweets" A subcommittee on candy had been one of the first appointed, with Mrs. Henry Dean as it's efficient char man. will read you Mrs. Seals ac- count of the first distributions:
 "sEyery time I think of those boxes of candy and the faces of the boys who received it, I long for words to describe to you the great joy and pleasure your committee has given. It makes me rurl- ous to hear people say the men are pet ter off than they have ever been, making more money, etc. With few exceptions, every boy at camp has allotted half his pay to his wife or mother. bought lib- erty bond and taken out insurance. 50, YOU see, the enlisted man has little left for luxuries. I am going to take the 24 cakes of Hershevs chocolate to the hospital tomorrow
 .In one of Mrs Seals letters she men, tions that the drafted menahad come in that day from Camp Pike and needed all the knitted garments. Fifty-nine muf- flers, 56 wristlets and 50 sweaters were needed in one company. Anniston and Montgomery helped to fit out two of these companies with sweaters.
 KEEP KNITTERS BUSY
 Finding the need greater than we had supposed, and hoping that we might prevent illness from exposure to cold, we have kept our knitters busy and are now turning out about 50 garments per day. It is now our ambition to supply each of our men not yet supplied with a complete outfit of the garments we knit When this is done. we hope to ar range with the officers to take with them when each contingent sails for France
 
 subject to wear to last our men for the three months of the winter which re- mains in exposed trenches in France.
 Your committee has found some new channels through which to prefer our request for the salvage of knitted gar men4s in the camps. If we could get this we would be permanently out of the wool market.
 ..Finding the Jefferson county men lo are ". ing all the time from one camp to an- other This is one reason that, though so many sweaters have been supplied men at Camp Wheeler, there is still such need I have written today for news of Jefferson county men, to two camps which we had never heard of until yes terday. This is our first business And when we have located them. the board of revenue of our county will record all the names in record. which will be large enough to keep a short history of each man in very condensed form, which will become one of the county records, to be kept for posterity. have handed to them a list of all the men who have enlisted in the navy or the marines from the county. I hope for more complete memorandum of these men, and am sure that Secretary Daniels will order 1t given us
 we have shipped to 5 individuals whole outfits and parts of outfits. can only give a partial list of shipments to Camp Wheeler, as did not ask in time for complete list from the shipping committee We have shipped 60 pounds of candy, 40 pairs of bed socks 4 muf- flers, 66 pairs wristlets. 46 sweaters, E pairs of socks. and afghans donated to us for hospital 122
 SOME FINE COOPERATION
 Tt is with. great pleasure that I report the enthusiastic cooperation of the woman's organizations of the county. The Order of the Eastern Star and the Maccabees were the first to offer assistance and have supported your committee in every possible way. Filling in gaps made by the failure of our hasty organization and forming knitting units. they have given us from their funds and promised more as we need it. Woman's societies of almost all churches in this dist-ict have enlisted with us. The council of clubs was not asked to meet imme- diately after our organization so tha, the splendid assistance of the literary clubs to our appeal has been a pleas ant surprise to us. We wish to thank the board of governors of the Jeffer- son County Bank building for our