Rushden Wants £1,000 for Russia
Salvage Campaign Planned To Aid Gratitude Fund
An objective of £1,000 was agreed to at Monday’s meeting of the Rushden Aid to Russia Committee. Coun. T. W. Cox, J.P., who presided, said the sub-committee had been making calculations and found that the original estimate was much too small. They thought a four figure result was quite possible.

It was announced that arrangements for the factory collections – a series of four on consecutive weekends – had been completed, and that appeals for subscriptions had been sent to business men, tradesmen, societies and a number of private residents.

The flag day, now in the hands of Miss D. Hill and Mr. H. C. Allen, is being held on January 17, and to avoid crowding the appeals it was decided to make the house-to-house collection (organised by the W.V.S.) on January 30 and 31.

Mr. Harry Rice stated that every club would make “a generous offer” and special effort.

A new suggestion that for a specified period the public should be asked to give all its salvage material, together with old gold and silver articles, to the Aid to Russia Fund was taken up with enthusiasm. It was agreed that two patriotic purposes could be served in this way without further strain on the public pocket and a sub committee comprising Mrs. W. Hills and Messrs. W. J. Sawford, J. E. Dilks, H. Rice, F. J. Sharwood, C.C., and L. V. Elliott was appointed to work out the details.

Publicity measures were reported on by the hon. Secretaries, Miss A. M. Sharwood and Coun. W. E. Capon.

Mr. Capon said it was hoped that many individual efforts would be made in support of the fund.

Fire Guards to Help Russia
Rushden Committee Plans Whirlwind Salvage Campaign
Rushden Aid-to-Russia Committee heard on Monday that £146 was already in hand, this including donations from manufacturers and others, and the first week’s collection from a few of the factories.

Mr. Harry Rice said the clubs would respond well. At one of them a member had already raised over £10.

A salvage drive on intensive lines was organised. During the last two weeks in January an attempt will be made to secure every possible piece of waste paper and cardboard. The Fire Guard parties will be asked to comb their streets for this “treasure.” Transport is being planned, and Mr. J. E. Dilks has promised the use of a central storage place.

During the last week of the month the public will be urged to offer their unwanted gold and silver in the form of discarded watches, trinkets, etc. For this purpose the shop No. 41 High-street will be opened as a receiving depot.

A member of the committee suggested that as Russia’s efforts reduced Germany’s power to raid England, the fire Guard would be enthusiastic helpers.

It was announced that the Ritz Cinema had been offered for a celebrity concert on Sunday, February 1st, with Dennis Noble and Ruth Naylor as two of the stars.

Russia Fund is Mounting Up
Rushden Campaign Shapes for a Great Success
Next Week’s Events

Rushden’s Aid-to-Russia Fund, aiming at £1,000 as a minimum, stood at £376 on Monday, with much larger sums assured in the near future.

The financial report given by Ald. A. C. Allen at Monday’s meeting of the committee was received with enthusiasm and regarded as a certain pointer to final success. Mr. Allen said that donations amounted to £162. Another £145 was from the first week’s factory collection, but even this fine figure was not complete.

Last Saturday’s flag day produced £68 0s. 6d. in spite of the fact that it was limited to street sales, no house-to-house calls being made. This result was hailed with great satisfaction and thanks were accorded to Miss D. Hill, Mr. H. C. Allen (organisers) and the lady helpers.

Mr. M. S. Boyd (Chief Warden) attended to report that the Fire Guard was being mustered to carry out the paper salvage drive, which will begin this week with the collection of material from the factories and business premises and come to a climax next week with a special canvass at every house. Coun. W. J. Sawford, chairman of the Salvage Sub-Committee, promised the use of the Co-operative Society’s entire transport fleet.

It was decided to open the High-street shop near the National Provincial Bank every afternoon next week for the reception of gold and silver gifts such as old watches and discarded trinkets. Ladies of Toc H are to be invited to staff the shop.

Arrangements for the celebrity concert at the Ritz on Saturday, February 1st were approved, and the members heard that the tickets were selling rapidly.

Miss Hill, Coun. J. Allen, Mr. R. Welsford and Mr. G. Cox were appointed as a sub-committee to explore the possibility of staging an exhibition of Russian war photographs.

Mr. Harry Rice said the clubs were all helping and he expected they would raise from £40 to £50.

Russia Campaign at Climax - Rushden Effort Heading For Brilliant Success
Perhaps the most intensive effort of its kind in the county, Rushden’s Aid-to-Russia Campaign reaches its climax this week. The aim was to raise £1,000, as a minimum, in a month, and everything points towards a complete triumph.

Last Saturday the factories were cleared of all spare paper and cardboard, which will be sold on behalf of the fund. Air Raid Wardens and Fire Guards did the work, using eight lorries lent by the Rushden Industrial Co-operative Society and Messrs. John White, Ltd., and tons of material were transported to a central store lent by Mr. J. E. Dilks.

On Monday the first gifts of discarded gold and silver articles were received at the depot which has been opened at 41, High Street. They consisted of watches, chains, brooches, spoons and the like. The depot is open each afternoon during the week and is in the charge of Toc H ladies. In some parts of the country similar gift schemes have been worked with remarkable success, the value of almost forgotten articles mounting up to surprising figures.

Salvage Sweep
The last of four weekly factory collections will be taken this week – these are an invaluable source of income – and a house-to-house collection will be taken throughout the town. Tradesmen are being canvassed for subscriptions, and all sorts of people are completing personal money-raising efforts.

To-morrow (Saturday) is set aside for the great paper salvage drive in the streets, where enthusiastic Fire Guards, who have been preparing the way at every house, will collect every available scrap of paper and cardboard to form street dumps which will be cleared by the Wardens and transported to the central depot.

The grand finale comes on Sunday with the celebrity concert at the Ritz Cinema, where Dennis Noble, the famous baritone, will head a fine list of artistes. At the end of the evening it is hoped to make an interesting announcement.

Rushden Pours Out Paper
Fire Guards Collect 50 Tons for Russia Fund

Extraordinary results came from the Aid-to-Russia Fund salvage drive at Rushden on Saturday. Almost every house in every street turned out bundles of paper, books and cardboard, and by the end of the day about 50 tons of material packed two big store-places. The value will run into hundreds of pounds.

Fire Guards and A.R.P. Wardens, under the Chief Warden, Mr. Malcolm Boyd, carried out the work with enthusiasm, assisted by transport vehicles lent by the Co-operative Society and Messrs. John White, Ltd. The Fire Guards collected from each house and piled the paper into street dumps. Wardens cleared the dumps and took the treasure to the Co-operative abattoir. When this was filled a depot lent by Mr. J. E. Dilks received the remainder.

“We were simply swamped out,” said Coun. W. J. Sawford, chairman of the sub-committee in control of the effort. “I think the people are to be congratulated on putting their backs into it.”

The average monthly collection of paper and cardboard by the Rushden Urban Council is about 10 tons, and the October total, which included the proceeds of the Council’s own Salvage Week, was no more than 15 tons. The fine result of the Russian drive will count towards the town’s chance of success in the National Waste Paper Competition.

Rushden’s Good Salvage Month
Over 73 Tons of Paper in January

Not counting some of the Aid-to-Russia salvage which has not yet been weighed, Rushden collected over 73 tons of paper during January – the month devoted to the national competition. The figures were given to the Urban Council on Wednesday and were hailed with satisfaction.

The Surveyor (Mr. J. W. Lloyd) announced that during January 13 tons 19 cwt. of paper was collected by the Council and 40 tons by the Aid-to-Russia Committee, while 19 tons 15½ cwt. was sent by firms direct to the paper mills. This made a total of 73 tons 14½ cwt. from Rushden during the month.

Other materials salvaged included: Tins, 8 tons 1 cwt.; scrap iron, 1 ton 5 cwt.; bone, 10 cwt. 1 qtr.; rags, 6 cwt.; rope, 1 cwt.; kitchen waste, 2 tons 6½ cwt.

Gratitude and Admiration
Rushden’s Message For “Brave Russian People”
Letter To Stalin

From the Rushden Aid-to-Russia Fund the following message has gone to Premier Stalin of the U.S.S.R.

“We have the honour to inform you that on behalf of the townspeople of Rushden our committee is forwarding £2,000 to the funds organised by Mrs. Churchill and Sir Walter Citrine for the aid of your gallant people.

“We feel that you and your compatriots will be heartened and encouraged to know that in this small town, with a normal population of 15,000, this sum of money has been given within a month, and that the fund has been supported with equal enthusiasm by all sections of the community.

“Never, we believe, has money or service been given with greater good will. At first we aspired to send you £500. Soon we asked for £1,000. We are proud to have doubled even that aim, and we assure you, sir, that the gift endeavours to express our admiration of your brave and united people, our profound gratitude for Russia’s magnificent service to the common cause, and our hope that enduring friendship may crown the victory for which we are all striving.”

Thanks For Cheque

Sir Walter Citrine, joint secretary of the National Council of Labour, sends the following letter in acknowledgment of the £1,000 cheque given to his fund:

“I have much pleasure in enclosing our receipt for £1,000, being half the proceeds of the town’s effort during January. Please convey to the organisers and helpers the best thanks of the National Council of Labour for this very welcome addition to our fund. I should like to congratulate you on the total realised, which is really splendid. We deeply appreciate all the hard work which must have been put in. We have sent and are still sending large consignments of medical and surgical supplies and warm clothing to Russia.”