THE DOMAIN FETE.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14843, 8 December 1913, Page 4

THE DOMAIN FETE.

A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL FUNCTION. The hard-working organisers who brought the first Rose Carnival held under the auspices of the Christchurch Domain Board to such an extremely successful issue, must be warmly congratulated on the result* of their efforts, and no less congratulation must bo bestowed upon the public, which so readily contributed to the success of tho gathering by its presence. Early on Saturday morning an army of workmen were hard at it, putting the finishing touches on the preparations, and doing the thousand and one odd things that always crop up at the latest and most inconvenient moment in organising a public affair such as the fete, but everything was ready for the formal opening of the gates at noon. The weather was a bit chilly, the cold nor- ,- east wind being an addition that could have been easily dispensed with, but the sun was bright, and very soon after 12 o'clock the people began to arrive, and quite early in the afternoon there was a very large crowd indeed, which swelled to enormous dimensions about afternoon tea time. The domain itself was looking most beautiful; the smooth green lawns, freshened by the late showers, were as velvet under the foet, while the bright borders and parterres, gay with flowers, all added to tho beauty of an already attractive scene.

! The refreshment stalls, the ice cream and fruit salad stalls, and the afternoon tea tents,were all patronised most encouragingly, and though the busy young ladies in charge worked like Trojans to attend to everyone, yet so great ■was the demand that many had to go away unsatisfied. The visitors amused themselves in various ways; they inspected the beautiful rose garden, they walked here and there, they sat and talked, and listened to the music provided, and the more frivolous patronised the side shows.. The visitors to the Carnival were certainly well catered for as far as devices for coaxing the coin of the realm from the pocket were concerned. There were tents and side-shows of all descriptions, and the way the public patronised them proved that the spirit of speculation and generosity is not yet dead. Highland dancing and music was supplied by Scotsmen in the garb of old* Gaul, and the /juvenile section of the patrons were entertained and amused by Aunt Sallies Punch and Judy shows, bran tubs, and ofher delightful novelties. Tlio bard of thfl Ist Regiment M.R.. the Woolston Band, and the band of the Burnhnm Industrial School, all played duri ing the afternoon and evening, their efforts being much appreciated The flower stall was under the charge of Mesdames H. Holland, H. R. Smith and J. S. Neville, and the post card stall was presided over by the Misses Holmes and Denham. Mrs Gqurlay : dispensed soft drinks to the thirsty, while the cooling administration of the ico cream was in the keeping of Mrs A. B. Rowland. Miss Cardy was in the charge of the sweet stall, and Miss W. Broadway of the strawberry and cream and fruitsalad emporium. The sporting and skilful were catered for by Mesdames Vernon and Pyne on the putting green, while there were several tea tents presided over by Mrs T. E. Taylor and Mi's Livingstone and by the bachelors. The scene in the evening was charming. A deal of trouble had been gone to to illuminate the grounds with coloured electric lights, and the general effect was very pretty indeed. There was an excellent attendance in the evening, as in the afternoon, and business was very brisk. The attractions were enhanced and augmented by the Highland dancing, and a free kinemato-\ graph exhibition, made possible by the kindness of the, proprietors of the Queen's Continuous Picture Theatre. An enjoyable programme was providod, and the pictures were splendidly screened, thanks to the expert attention of the Theatre operator, Mr J. Lawranee. THE ROSE SHOW. The show of roses and other flowers in the two big marquees was a very fine one indeed, despite the recent bad weather and prevalence of blight. The professional nurserymen, as,well as the amateurs, were very well represented in, all sections, and the general opinion of the judges was extremely favourable to the display as a whole. Besides the roses, there was a splendid show of sweet peas, and the decorative sections of the show were well filled also. /In the professional class for exhibitors Messrs R. Nairn and Sons were prominMessrs Buxton, Bayliss, Brad.bury, Jones, and Moir Bros, had all very excellent collections of flowers beautifully arranged and staged. It may be said without undue flattery that there has seldom, if ever, been a better all-round display of roses staged in Christchurch, and it did infinite credit to the gardeners of the city, both amateur and professional. The champion cup, valued at five guineas, presented by Mr H. G. Beswick, chairman of the Domain Board, was won by Messrs A. W. Buxton, whose 72 blooms of different varieties of roses was a remarkable exhibit: Mr R. J. Chrifitensen came eeoond in the champion class and gained Mr W. H. Overton's gold medal. Mr R.. J. Christensen showed an especially fine specimen of a Mildred Grant rose in a class > for single roses. In the amateur classes Mr F. C. Raphael, Mrs H. P. Murray-Aynsley, Mrs A. Boyle, Mr J. McLaren. Mrs J. E. Schneider, and Mr J. Wyn-Irwin were all prominent, wanning a good many first prizes between them, and showing many beautiful blooms. The sweet peas suffered a good deal less than the roses from climatic conditions, and there wore some really splen- j did collections. That of Mr D. Bradbury, of the Cashmere nurseries, won the deserved praises of the judges, and in the amateur classes Mr D. Hamber, Mr T. Whitfield, and the Hon. R. H. Rhodes fairly well divided the honours. Some exceedingly artistic work was seen in the classes for decorated tables, while tho children's sections were also well filled. Tho decorated vehicles, etc., were the centre of attraction when they were on show, and somo of them were exceedingly pretty and effective. Miss Scott's little G. W. K. won the prize for the best decorated motor car, and the award for the best decorated dog .cart went to Mrs G. W. Bagrie. A couple of decorated motor cycles were sTiown, Mr J. Pool being first, with Mr E. G. Queree second, and Miss Jean Stewart won the premier award for decorated cycles, and Miss W. M. Smith wns judged second best in a good class. The decorated boat shown by Miss E. Scott was an object of much interest , on. , the Avon in the afternoon. Tho boat was in the form of a huge white swan, the design being very well carried out. Tho rowers wero barely visible, but they exercised the greatest caution in negotiating their unusual craft over tho shallow waters of tlio Avon between Hereford street and the Gardens The decorated go-cart prize went to Miss Thelma Hughes, with Miss D. THlaa second.