A DISTRICT NURSES' FUND.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 824, 24 May 1910, Page 3

A DISTRICT NURSES' FUND.

THE NEW, SCHEME.' "Why do-you women always'want to have bazaars and sales of work to raise money in a most expensive and exhausts ing way? Much better ask for the money straight out." That is what the average man always Eiys when'his wife tells him she is taking part in a bazaar, and when the bazaar is over he usually repeats his re- , mark in an admonishing, and told-you- ' eo tone. ( The advice of the average man is to.be followed for 'once, and it is hoped that he will' recognise the fact by cheerfully paying the money that lie' will bo askeil to give direct to the fund, instead of being, asked to give it over a stall counter, or through a raffle. Last : evening the - large meeting of ladies, called by' Mrs. Rhodes in Godber's rooms on the Quay, decided to begin a collecting campaign in aid of the District Nurses' Permanent Fund, and probablj by now a number of people have been asked by telephone to. contribute. Mrs. Rhodes. explained that the St. John Ambulance .Nursing Guild had beon for a. long time trying to establish a fund for the permanent support of two district nurses for Wellington; that the bazaar which was held in aid of the fund at the.end of,last year had brought in a large sum; but that several hundred pounds were still required, and she had jnvited the ladies to discuss tho best means of raising' it. - Mr.'Troup, who presided, said that the guild had sat out now to raise ,£IOOO, after which the fund would, be large enough. During the past few weeks three or four Jadies had collected over .£550, and now they wanted other ladies to help them to raise the remainder of the £1000. ' '

Mrs.' Corrigan moved a. resolution, which was seconded by Miss Robinson .and carried, that an effort should be made to complete tho scheme. On the motion of Mrs. J. P. Luke, 6econded by Mrs. Preston, it was resolved that each of those present should endeavour to raise the sum of £o.

Mr. Troup brought forward a scheme for the i acceptance of-the meeting. Lists containing over • 900 names • have been printed, and each colleotor was asbed to ; call on six people whose names had been marked on her card, with the underetanding that she would call on none of the others whose names were printed, toi accept subscriptions from them. By this means the people whose names appeared on the list .would be guarded against by repeated applications for subscriptions, and tlio time of each collector .would be. used to the best advantage. Of bourse, they were all at liberty to ask for eubscriptions. from people whose, names did not appear on the list.

It was suggested , that the ladies collecting might raise the desired sum in other ways than by . asking. for .it directly, and various small sales of work and teas Blight be arranged to that end.

_It is understood that the lady havinj six names entrusted to her will at once approach the' people, even though they are complete strangers to her, and one fancies various odd situations may arise. They began last night when one'ardent collector found that the name of her husband appeared on another collector's list. There was some delicate and determined negotiation, and finally the husband's name was exchanged for that of a stranger to both ladies.

After the lists had been distributed tea was served, and the meeting resolved itself into a conversational one. 1

Already many have given very generously. Mrs. Rhodes, who has onoe and again given liberally to the fund, started the new list with a donation of ,£IOO, and largo sums have been received from other people. '

"Dominica" will be very pleased to receive any contributions that readers in the country, or the city care to send in for this .very practical benevolence.