BELGIAN RELIEF

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2417, 24 March 1915, Page 6

BELGIAN RELIEF

£38 FOR A BELGIAN FLAG Prior to the rise of the curtain on Lady Windermere's Fan" last evening, Miss Beatrice Day sold a Belgian nag which had been presented by the scholars of the Roseneath School. The policy of selling the colours over and over again was pursued by Miss Day, and as the result the flag realised £38. r.-m '',-s' erß " were: Major Robertson, rS '1. r " Duncan, £5; Miss Robin, £8; Mr. Abbott, £5: Mr. Liardet, £0; and Mr. Jas. M'Lollaji ; £*5. The last buyer handed the flag back to be sold o'er again this evening. Miss Day then sold a beautifully-dressed Norwegian doll, which had been presented 5?. 'f! e management for sale by Miss i lullips. The doll was first bought by Dr. I'latts-Mills for £2. Thus the sum of £o0 was realised. This evening at the Grand Opera House Mr. A. L. Wilson will sell by auction two water colours from the brush of Mr. Walter Leslie, district secretary to the National Reserve, which body js to attend in force. RAILWAYMEN'S BELGIAN NIGHT. _ Captain. Leopold M'Laglen, present jiu-jitsu champion of the world, and inventor of the advanced system of bayonet fighting now being taught to the troops at Trentham, has returned from the south to fulfil his engagements 'at thel railwaymen's Belgian night. In addition to the exhibition of jiu-jitsu proper which Captain M'Laglen and bis assistants will give, the audience wiil have an opportunity of seeing squads of troops engaged in bayonet fighting un der the new system which is notv being taught at Trontham. Their Eiiijileacies the Governor and the Couutess of Liverpool have signified their ideation of being present at ihe cntertaianms. Hi 6 Excellency is keenly interested in the movement, and .n his • Message to the People," contained in the souvenir programme, says: "Wo are (ill agreed that the sufferings of the Belgian ration deserve our warmest. 'ousidijMCion. The grievous wounds which h=ve been inflicted can 1 never whollv be healed in our generation, but we cm at least, do something to assuage nr'sery and destitution." The souvenir programme, receipt of which wo have to acknowledge, is a very artistic production, containing photographs of troops at Trentham, "Messages" from His Excellency the Governor, the Right Ho:;, the Prime Minister; the Minister of Defence, and the Right Hon. Sir J. (i. Ward, and a handsome cover design incorporating the British and ■ Belgian flags, together with the words of the stirring song "England 1 ! Call." Tie box plan is now open at the Bristol, ' THE "DOMINION" LIST. _ Contributions, to the fund for the relief of the Belgians in distress will subsequently be forwarded to the authorities in Belgium for distribution:— ; £ a. 3. Previously acknowledged 22,166 011 Proceeds sale of ram, presented by 0. R. Martin, Pongaroa, and subscribed to by: Burling Bros., £2 25.; A. 0. Herbert, £1 Is.; J. Murray, £1 Is.; T. Sherrard, £1 Is.; C R. Martin, £1 Is.; P. W. Yeth, £1; A. Meech, £1; H. P. Mansen, lis.; J. M'lntyre, 10s. 6d.; 0. D. Fairbrother, 17s. 6d.; W. Wright, 55.; D. D. Riddell, 55.; J. Billington, fis.; total 10 10 0 "Seven Little Australians," proceeds sale of doll, presented by Miss M'lntosh, at performance, Lower Hutt 2 18 0 Wellington Harbour Board, oonorete breastwork department (second fortnightly instalment) 18 6 1U .; 0 2-6 Total 22,180 19 11 BELCIAN RELIEF. MR. M'HARDY IN REPLY. (To the Editor.) Sir, —I- Have read the letter signed "Hawke's Bay" in your issue of Monday; a pity he hides his name behind BUch a good country. Anyone on reading his letter would think I had made special references to a farmer and Hawke's Bay farmers in particular. That is not so; what I did say, and still say, is that our colonies have been prosperous for many years, and 6uch commercial prosperity was due to the protection we enjoy under the Union Jack, etc., and I would ask "Hawke's Bay" if he ca,n produce returns of our exports and' imports, to prove that this is not so.,

Personally, I am very sorry for "Hawke's Bay" if his property was in the drought area, and I can thoroughly sympathise, for I own a property in the same area, and, can safely say no white man lias ever seen that country in such a state of starvation as existed the past three months, and, like him, I shall have to face the musio and stock up later on probably at high prices, and in face of this he has the front to tell the public of the good time I must be having. His reference to the good prices for stock in the Manawatu are quite misleading, as I know from experience of sales this season that tho price for storo sheep at Waipukurau lias been all the season quite equal, and in many casen better than priceß at Feildifig, and I' know all about the early shorn fourtooth wethers sold to Manawatu buyers at from 18s. 6d. to £1, their profit being 2s 6d. per head after fattening, and yet "Hawke'6 Bay" tells us the Manawatu farmer has been getting the stock at his own price. _ • In my remarks re the increased price of produce, since the war started: I said these prices were, in "my opinion," ill-gotten gains etc., and I still hold tc that but perhaps might have qualified same by 6aying that any such increase in prices should bo set against any' loss, by drought, firo, action of King's enemies, etc., snd most men like to settle accounts before they part. Hia concluding remarks, re war tax, land tax, and the correspondence in your columns re the desire to make the other man pay, whatever that means, are all foreign to the subject, and quits outside the subject and intentions for which my previous letter was ; written, and one might even suspcct a desire to innke political capital out of what I considered a disinterested attempt to assist sufferins humanity Anonymous correspondence is poor game at tlie best of times, and T would not have replied had my name and personal business not been mentioned. My reference was to the colony as a whole, to no farmer or farmers in particular, and if "Hawke's Bay" is, or is not, in a position to give. I can only remind him that this is still a free country, not yet German, and in conclusion will quote the words of our Prime Minister «t the Opera House, Wellington, last Saturday night:—"We lived in a land of plenty and prosperity, and it devolved on us to assist those in distress on the other side of the world. We know our duty to Britain and Belgium. and we wore going to do it. —I . am. etc. P. A.M'HARDY. Beaulieu, Palmerston North. March 23, 1915.