FOR THE BELGIANS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2415, 22 March 1915, Page 6

FOR THE BELGIANS

GALA NIGHT AT THE. OPERA HOUSE

SOUVENIR PROGRAMME SOLD FOR £75

The scene at the Grand Opera House on' Saturday evening at. the inauguration of the Plimmei'-Hall Dramatic Company's tour in the interests of tho Belgian Fund was a notable one. The balustrade of tho dress circle and tho orchestral well were gaily decorated with tie flags of the Allies, a bevy of young girls with shoulder sashes in. the vivid colours of the Belgians flitted about selling souvenir programmes, and the band of. the New Zealand Natives' Association played lively march tunes from the balcony of the theatre. 'Promptly at 8 p.m. those two talented young ladies, Mrs. Winter Hall (nee Miss Katie Young) and her sister, Miss Rima Young, took their places at two upright grands in the orchestral well, and after playing an interesting fantasia of national airs, brilliantly concerted for two instruments, tho band, under Lieutenant T. Herd, which had taken up a position at. the back of the dress.circle, gave out the National Anthem... : ' When the _ curtain was raised the Prime ■ Minister (the Right Hon. W. F. Masscy) came forward, and . received an ovation. He said that he. he knew tliat. those .present had not come to hear speech-mak-ing,- and he.would not keep them more than a'minute or two. He would like opportunity to take advantage of the occasion to'express the hope and confidence'-that the tour that 'was being inaugurated that night would be as great' a success as it deserved to be. (Applause.) ' The Prime Minister referred to the great fight the Belgian Army had put up four or five months ago, and said that had it not been for the stubborn resistance they had offered matters with us would not be nearly so satisfactory as they were to-day. (Applause.) Thousands, many thousands, of the Belgians had fallen, and those that were left were reported to b& without adequate food and clothing. Our duty was clear. We lived in a land of plenty and prosperity, and it devolved on us to assist those in distress on tho other side of the world. We know our duty to Britain and to Belgium, and we were going to do it (Loud applause.) As they knew, all the profits of tho Plimmer-Hall Company's tour were to go to the Belgian Fund. (Applause.) No doubt some of those present would remember that it was not the first time that the name of Plimmer had been connected with generosity in Wellington. The idea was worthy of the great occasion, and he wished the management crowded houses wherever they went.

Mr. Massey then referred to the disaster in the Dardanelles, in which two British warships and one French warship had been sunk. He had not yet received full particulars, but had . been given to understand that the casualties on the British' ships had not been serious, but most of those on the French ship, had been lost. Whilst commiserating with them they could rest assured that these men had gone to their death in a manner in keeping with the highest traditions of the brave nation to which they belonged. (Applause.) He had been given to understand that the vessels had been sunk by mines that had been carried down by the current after the mine-sweepers had done their work, but the action was being continued and other ships had taken the placos of those sunk. (Applause.)_ They could not expect to go to war without suffering iosses. and their duty was not to be unduly elated over the news of successes or unnecessarily depressed over news of losses. The ■ Dardanelles would be opened and success would bo with the Allies. "May it oome soon." (Applause.) In the interval between the third and fourth acts of "Lady Windermere's Fan" Mr. A. G. Wallace sold by auction a very handsome silk-covered souvenir programme containing an inset of parchment bearing the signatures of His Excellenoy the Governor, the Prime Minister, and members of the Cabinet, Sir Joseph. Ward, the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke), and the members of the Plimmer-Hall Company. The bidding started at £1, and mounted in £1 bids until it was knocked down to Lieutenant Robertson for £10, who desired that it should be put up again. The little souvenir was then sold over and over again for £o, until Mr. Alfred Odlin, bidding his second £5, said he would take. it homo. Those who bought the souvenir were, according to the list:—Lieutenant Robertson, £10; Mr. A. Odlin, £10, Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Johnston, Mr. A. Levy, Lady Ward, Mr. W. H., Turnbull, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop,. the Hon. R..H. Rhodes, the Prime Minister (the Hon.. W. F. Massey), the Hon. William Fraser, the Hon. Dr. Collins, M.L.C., and Mrs, P. 'Andrews (£5 each)—in all, £75. This money is to be paid to Messrs. Plimmer and Hall for the benefit of the fund they are raising for the Belgians. In addition the sum of £11 ss. was raised by the sale of souvenir programmes among the audience. The Defenoe Headquarters Staff are to attend the performance ,of "Lady Windermere's Fan" at the . Grand Opera. House to-morrow evening, lie officers of the Trentham camp, and those of the R..N.Z.A. are also expected to attend. They aro to appear in uniform.