The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1942-11-19


was establieslh4f da lin Septembef'
1910, has recently released its
second annual report. This shows
that it now has menH pthans 1,59O
branch units active in the United
States of America besides many
more in Great Britain, Canada,
Australia and the Union of
South Africa.
The committee has assembled
since Pearl Harbor over $4,000
pounds of durable clothing and
bedding, in waterproof, moth
proof, wooden cases, at conven-
lent locations on the Atlantic
and Pacific coasts ready for in
slant use should emergencies
arise because of local enemy ac-
ton.
More than $4,000 garments
have BEEN distributed, through
military distribution centers. to
men in the United States forces
A large British transport vessel
which had arrived from TROPICAL
waters and was being repaired at
Boston received 100 overcoats for
officers. Folding cots have been
given to overcrowded seamen's
clubs. Civilians arriving in the
United States suffering because
of war conditions or action have
been provided with clothing and
other forms of relief. Among
them are refugees from the Far
East. who4landed in California:
and merchant seamen rescued
from ships torpedoed along the
Atlantic coast have been similar
ly cared for. This work is car
ried on by the committee with
out regard to creed or race.
One of 1.-The most impressive
branches of the work from the
start before America entered
the war, has been the distribu-
ton of Clothing and comforts to
bombed-out people in Great
Britain and to refugees from Hol-
land, Norway. Russia, Poland,
Belgium sand other European
countries. Clothing has gone
direct from Boston to Russia
land knitted goods have been
: sent there from branches of the
committee in England. One ex-
ample is the preparation, within
six weeks, of 1920 knitted gar
ments for the Russians. Over
seas workers have won the COM
mendationS and co-operation of
local authorities by their prompt
arrival on the scene of trouble.
In cities .-heavilv bombed. such
as Plymouth, Coventry, Bristol
and Southampton. they have got
there with food and clothing,
ready to 90 to work, even before
the "All Clear" sounded.
The wide range of the distri-
button is indicated in the annual
report from the United King
dom. One worker reports that
an English physician, totally
bombed, was fitted out with
suitable professional clothing by
the almoner. A Scottish center
states that Commands who at
one time-raided the Norwegian
islands We're equipped on the
expedition with comforts from
Boston, and that the center pro-
vided clothing for the refugees
whom the. Commands brought
bark. - 81
Throughout the entire Chris
tian Science movement workers
are making and collecting cloth
ing of all Kinds and sending it to-
the depots, where it is carefully
inspected sorted and packed in
waterproof cases for shipment.
One of the most recent of the
committees activities has been
the sending of weekly food pack
ages to British prisoners of war.
in Germany and Italy. This can
be done according to the Geneva
Convention. Only an occasional
package has gone astray. Cor
respondence has been started
with many of the prisoners and
with their families in England.
Some packages have been sent
to civilians in Occupied France.
1t has not been possible to reach
prisoners in the Far East.
Figures presented for the two
year period ending the first &of
October, this year. include over
1000, 900 pounds of clothing and
bedding kant to the British Isles,
more thAn $500 pounds to Rus
STA and more than I0,500 pounds
to Finland. previous to that
country,S alliance with the Axis.
The yearly shipment to Eng
land from the Boston depot alone
has totaled between 1000 and s.
600 crates, each containing about
200 parments. The loss in ship
ping has been negligible. During
the first year of the committees
operation at least 10000 people
in Great Britain received cloth
ing, food or other comforts. and
about gao were assisted finan-
cially. In addition to shipments
frns,n the four. dnr,nfs in the