THE COMET BAZAAR.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 887, 5 August 1910, Page 9

THE COMET BAZAAR.

OPENED -BY LORD .ISLINGTON. A large number of people attended the Comet. Bazaar yesterday, ufternoon upou the second day of its opening, when, his Excellency the Governor, accompanied by his aiuo-de-camp, Captain CrichtouMaitland, was-present, nud performed the opening ceremony. Mr. j. Moore, who had associated with him upon the platform Dr. Pollen and the Kqv. J. D. Kussell, secretary of the Wellington branch of the missionary -work,', spoke of the work, dona by the mission, and finally introduced his I'ixccllency to thoso assembled in the hall. . ' In an eloquent and very interesting speech, his Excellency said: .■■"ln coming heru this ufternoon lo perform the ceremony of opening your bazaar on its second day, 1 can assure you 1 am discharging a task that is extremely congenial lo me, because I. feel the greatest pleasure in being associated with- the institution on behalf of which yon are all collected.here this afternoon, and to 1 aid which you have all m your several capacities devoted so much time and trouble. I say, too, advisedly, I am glad this is the second day, because it has thereby enabled you to have, present yesterday, Mrs. Williams, whose name will over he revered by seamen and the mission .for the great service she has rendered them.' ■ ■ "The work connected with the beamen's Mission is well known -to yon all in Wellington. From my own personal observations of its work, I would unhesitatingly sav that the Church of England to-day, am'id all its varied exertions to elovnto and help mankind in different parts of the World, is carrying out no work more helpful. When one reflects for a moment on the enormous number of ships that'to-day are sailing under the British '(lag in .every sua ol llui world, it is a mailer of Immense satisfaction to feel that in the great majority at any nite or the chief ports nt whlr.li these ships call, there is to-day established u mission similar lo yum*, ollei-

ing lo seamen of all Nationalities a welcoming home to which they can go, whero ih'ey can receive- spiritual and human sympathy from a devoted baud of people whose aim and object is to render them assistance and make them feel at homo in a strange lnnd. Ladies aud gentlemen, as an Empire we depend beyond calculation on our maritime strouglli._ "Yet here in. New Zealand, depend on it, in this remote part of the world, where yullt only means of communication with the fiUlvr world is by shipping. To carry out this great maritime organisation, the Umpire employs more men than any other nation in the world. And when one contemplates the kind of life necessarily incident to a seafaring man's profession, 1 think we can unreservedly extend to our fellow people on the sea a very warm and genuine leuliiig of sympathy nml comradeship. ' . ■I address -myself to this movement on behalf of seamen with a peculiar hereditary, solicitude, because, though I cannot claim to.be a sailor myself, both my father and three generations before him spent, the greater part of their liio on-the sea in the British Navy, and I am proud to remember that all in turn attained the rank of admiral. So, perhaps, soainoii may feel that, beyond the fact that I am Governor of J\ T ew Zealand; tliere is a certain personal appropriateness in my being associated with this movement;. 'My. object in coming here to-day is not a merely formal one—to open this bazaar—but to earnestly appeal to all who reside in Wellington to comp here and spend according to their means .freely. I am sure thero aro plenty of attractive objects-here to bis bought, as I already fully realise there aro plenty of attractive ladies ready to sell;, and in a few moments I intend to throw discretion to the winds and commit myself to their tender mercies, knowing full well that, if an expensive, it-will bo an agreeable task, with the additional satisfaction that it will bo in an admirable cause. It would be almost an impertinence on ray part In ulteuipl to tell jou what Mi. kooio does for this mission. He,' nf course, aided by Sirs. Moore, is the lifo and strength of tho institution. I am delighted to find that, thanks to Mrs. Williams, ho has got such admirable accommodation to carry on his work. I know, as you" know, what, struggles lib has had in the nast—how ho had to movo from place to .place until ho found his present haven—and now, after all the ■ struggles of the past, the mission is thoroughly, established, and is doing splendulAvork .under his able administration. : His Excellency then declared the bazaar open.• , ■ ■ . - Tho ilev. J. D. Russell aiid Dr. Mien also spoke, and after Lord Islington had been presented with a buttonhole, by an Amokura boy, he committed-himself into the hands of the ladies helping, aud made tho round of tho stalls. A.largo amount of satisfactory business was. transacted during the afternoon, and all the sideshows were in full swing, as well as a musical'entertainment. 1 . In the evening tho, Brilliant Wesleyan Orchestra was to perform: a band of ladies .'under Mr. Harrison's guidance, and lie maypole children under Miss Bull.