FOR OUR "BOYS"

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2450, 1 May 1915, Page 8

FOR OUR "BOYS"

AN APPEAL F©R FUNDS PROPOSED CARNIVAL AN ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING "War is a time of sacrifice and of ser.vice. Some can. render one service, some another, some here, and some there. Some can render great assistance, others but little. There is not one who. cannot help ill some measure." The foregoing extract from a speech by Mr. Lloyd George was read by Mr. EL 6. Hill, president of the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Patriotic Society at the meeting held last night, the object of which was to organise a carnival in aid of a fund for soldiers disabled or killed or for their dependents. The idea of Mr. Lloyd George has been adopted by the society as their guiding principle, and they are ™ aking an appeal to. all, lit or unfit, to help those who are lighting our fight in alien lands. At the meeting held last night to inaugurate tho carnival scheme, thero were perhaps 250 people, most of whom, it is safe to say, had come from curiosity. They went away .imbued with the idea of work. Seldom has any scheme been so successfully launched, and few schemes have shown . such promise of great success at inaugural meetings. Mr, Hill said tbat it would be his duty first of all to explain the reasons why the meeting had been held. A number of ladies and gentlemen in Wellington had come to the conclusion that it was time something was done for those of our soldiers who might be killed or injured iu the great war (Applause.) The cry haa come from Belgium for aid, and he was glad to say that the cry had not been made in vain. He was proud to think that New Zealand people had given aid most the circumstances the executive of his society had decided to hold the queen carnival; and some outline of the scheme iiad already been given. Prima Minister's Message. After reading the telegram of His Excellency the Governor (already published), accepting the office of Patron of the carnival, Mr. Hill read the following telegram from the Prime Minister:—

"I have very much pleasure in accepting the position of vicepatron of a proposed Wellington patriotio carnival, and I desire to . thank the committee for their courtesy. In doing so, I may express the hope that your undertaking will be 'very successful, and result in a substantial sum being available for the very desirable object which the promoters have in view. I have no wish to interfere with other patriotic or charitable movements, but I am very. strongly of opinion that we should make necessary and proper provision for the dependents of those who may lose their lives or be permanently injured in doing their duty to their ■ country and Empire in the great national struggle which is now going on. We can't all be_ soldiers and go to the front, but it is open to us collectively and individually to do the. right thing by those men. who have taken up arms on our behalf." (Applause.) . ; 'Mr. Hill said he had not yet been able, to interview Sir Joseph Ward, Leader of the Opposition, but h» thought he was safe in saying that Sir. Joseph Ward would also bo a vicepatron of the carnival. Mr. Mayor (Mr; J. P. Luke) would be another vicepatron. of the carnival. Many Offers of Help. Ever since he had had the carnival project in view he had been besieged with offers of help. Amongst them was one by Sir. Baxter Buckley to repeat his recent successful concert in aid of the funds of the carnival. Another case: a business man had met him _ a few days since and had informed him that in the annual report of his company he had included a proposal that £500 should be voted for the relief of injured soldiers or of the dependents of soldiers killed. This, of course, was all subject to the approval of his directors. ' "But," the gentleman had added, "if I have my way, the £600 is going into your fund." He had also had an offer from the Wellington Choral Society for any kind of help they could give. The Dominion Boy Scouts had also offered their help, and experience had shown that they,-were people whose help was valuable. He reminded other people who might ba disposed to offer less specialised help that ■ the business would not be a "tea and cake party," but that there would bo work and self-denial involved. Quoting _Mr. Lloyd George he apostrophised the Navy for making us all a little too secure, with the result that we did not perhaps realise the dread ' seriousness of the war in which wo were engaged. Last of all he urged that it was the duty of all' who did not fight to do all they could for those who were now fighting our battles on 'he other side of the world, which sentiment was '-cccived with the loudest applause. A Woman's Appeal. Next Mr. Hill called upon the Mayoress, Mrs. Luke, and Mrs. Luke made the speech of the evening.. She confessed that she was more or less out of touch with'the new patriotic schemes, but she had none the less been busyon some of those not so recent. "Any woman that can handle a needle," she said, "any woman that has a heart, is a coward if she does not- come out now and help to look after the boys that have gone and the boys that are going— for we none of us know who will have to go yet." She upbraided Mr. Hill again for having made her responsible for a 6peech, stating that she was in no sense an orator. "I can help with the socks," she said. "I can help with the balaclavas. I can holp to Kce that the soldiers get other little necessaries and comforts, but I am not, an orator. Still I suppose that there is in this carnival scheme a niche somewhere that I can fill, and if I can I am quite willing to take that place." (Applause.) Her only advice to the promoters of the carnival was to bring as many children into it as possible, because the children would bring so many uncles, cousins, and aunts as well as their parents to the show that success would be assured. She hoped that it- would be possible to devoto all the prcceods to the fu&d for the brave boys who had gone to the war. The base, hospital was now fairly under way, and the money might not be needed for the hospital. Appealing to the people wlio might hesitate to otter help because they could do so little, she said: "It is all the littles that tell. It is not the person that comes along and gives a hip cheque that is going to make this .'thing go. It is tlio everybody that does a little." ■ She referred last of all to tlio possibility of bad news nqining front the front, and to the fact lliat very fow people were not represented intimately, or remotely at the front. "And if it is God's will that any of ours bo taken," she concluded, "jilst let us stolid by the others a little harder." The applause did not come at once, but presently fclic people did applaud most heartily—t'lio most hearty applause of the meeting.

"Motherland" and "Fatherland." Mr, D. M'Laren confessorl to having licon 'movc-d very deeply b,v* tlics womanly mnuaj .made by tlie iiuvonvu Qhv,

' Luke). He related a recont experience which had brought the war homo to him. In like manner it had been brought home to great loaders at Homo, aud especially Mr- Lloyd Georgo, who formerly spoke vehemently against war, and who now spoke most vehemently, with all the lire of liis Celtic temperament, to urge that this awful war should be pushed to a succcessful issue in the interests not only of tile Empire but of humanity. He condemned with some force the hideous barbarity of the Germans.. His best point was this: "Why do the German people call their country the l'atherlaiid, whilo we call ours the Motherland?— Because all our Celtic and AngloSaxon people lean more to the womanly characteristics of gentleness and. fortitude; and there is no fortitude m humanity that is greater than a woman s. fi mother' protecting her children can show fortitude that-the most heroic man iu the world , can not surpass, lliese are the characteristics of our gentleness, fortitude, and courage, ile contrasted these qualities forcibly with the revealed qualities of tlie people Who boasted of the Fatherland. Speaking more particularly of the Carnival, and especially of the objection raised by some that the weather of winter might be too hard for out-of-doors activity, he asked: W hat of the weather in Flanders m the* last three months? Has it been kind? What of the weather our boys will have to suifei r mat of the weather m the Carpathians?" Surely, he continued, wo ought not to falter about a little discomfort due to weather. He strongly supported Mrs. Luke's, proposal that as many children as possible should be induced to take an interest- in the carnival. Professor Cardston, who has organised successful queeu carnivals in other towns —the most recent m Christchurch —explained in some detail the ideas he .had for the carrying out of the queen election and other sections of the oj 1 ™" val show. He appealed to everybody to give their assistaneo to the carnival, and he showed how in many ways all sorts of people could help actively. Among the suggested items of the carnival would be a brass bands march tjompetition. , More Assistance. • After the speeches Mr; G. Winder said that as president of the Pickwick Club he would promise a donation of £01l for the fund. He added afterwards : "There are only sixteen members of the club, but we'll find that £50 all right.' Whereupon the chairman .put thisi proposition: "Here is a sum in proportion; —If 16 members of a club are going to give £50, how much are we going to get for the carnival?" Ho appealed to some patriotic citizen to oifcr a prize for the band contest. Suggestions offered were for the formation of a boys' committee, help from the men of H.M.S. Torch, a marching competition for units of the _ National Reserve, a baby show (this is 011 the pro": gramme). The. Friendly Societies will assist, : also the Amateur Athletic Society. A most enthusiastic meeting was concluded with the singing of "God Save the King," and cheers for "Our boys at the Dardanelles," and "The King. The cheerß did not meet with the apr proval of Mrs. I/uke, sh® held the crowd, about to disperse, while she gave them her ideas about cheering. They were wholesome ideas, and when she called for cheers again they wero given with a right good will.