A FETE OF COLLECTORS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2469, 24 May 1915, Page 7

A FETE OF COLLECTORS

SATURDAY'S EFFORT, STREET SCENES IN WELLINGTON. Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, Wellington, or that part of it that ventures linto tho main streets, was carried off its feet by a gallant sortie of skilled collectors, who were out to extract money from the publ>> in tho interests of tho Fund ffir the *,/!ounded Scldiers and their dependents. K strong theatrical flavour was lent to the proceedings by tie presence in the strets of four groups of theatrical collectorstwo from the "Violets" Companv, that aro performing at the Town" Hall, and two from Mr. Paul Stanhope's American Company (at His Majesty's), who openly discarded their neutrality and went and fought like heroes for tli'o •allies. In motor-car and lorrie the different parties, assisted by a large Kf|imd of commercial travellers, who aro still booming their motor-car contest, trundled their way along' Manners fctreot, gave some music at tho Royal Oak ana Albert Hotel corners, 'and tlien waded into the commercial whirlpool low down Willis Streot, with excellent I results. The "Violet" girls in their dainty dresses and tho purple Pierrots wore not_ in the least degree backward at asking, and it was astonishing to see what a free-hearted response there was It was the same with the American mummers, who were attired ill their "Fun on a Farm" costumes, but were quite at home in tho roar and racket of the city streets. Les Bates, Paul Stanhope, and the Grafter Quartet were practicularly in the public eye, and did the fund a lot of good by the time they were through. It -was a hard day's work for these people, for they had to play at a. matinee and night performance. Nor were the Carnival campaigners slow at getting to work. The Combined Drapers had a fine display during Saturday afternoon, in which a number of pretty girls were rigged out as jolly farmer boys, and hawked round a pet lamb (or it may have bean a fat one), and asked people to guess its weight at a trilling cost, all of which money will go to purchase money for their candidate in tho Quoen contest. Tho Tramways and Labour camps wero }lso very active, and by their very persistence must have sold many hundreds of vote tickets. Never before in the history of Wellington has there been such successful monoy-gefcting in the street's. It is intended by the "Violets" and the Commercial Travellers, Warehousemen's, and Central Club's Committee to donate £50 of the street collections of Saturday towards the Hospital Ship Fund. This is an additional amount to that of £250 donated by the above club out of their own funds last week.

The Maori concert being arranged by the committee of the Commercial Travellers, Warehousemen, Merchants, and Central Clubs' candidate (Miss Kitty Donglity) takes place on Tuesday afternoon, June 22, at the Town Hall (not Juno 29, as previously stated). APPEAL TO PUBLIC SERVICE OFFICERS CIRCULAR BY DEPARTMENTAL HEADS. The following circular has been addressed to all officers of tho Public .Service except thoso in the Railway, Postal, and Police Departments;— "At a meeting of the permanent heads of Departments and representatives of the Public Servico Association, held in the Government Buildings it Wellington last Friday, it was resolwd that the voluntary contributions from the Public Service, except the Railway, Postal, and Polico Departments (which Departments have their own funds), for the month of May and until further notice be paid to the credit of a fund for tho relief of distress consequent on casualties to New Zealanders on active service, and the undersigned were appointed a committee to prepare a circular letter to the Service setting forth tlie desirability of contributing to 6uch a fund. "The horrible and detestable methods employed by the. enemy in the conduct of the war have thoroughly aroused the nation, and made every one of us desirous of doing everything that lies in his power to forward the Empire's cause. . . . The very large number of casualties already reported amongst our own New Zealand troops has brought this matter very closely home to us, and we' therefore have no hesitation whatever in appealing to every officer in the portion of the Government Service which we are addressing to contribute liberally and regularly every month to the fund whose interests we are advocating. Indeed, we are firmly persuaded that no real appeal is necessary, but that every officer is ready and willing to subscribe and is merely waiting for someone to take the lead in inviting subscriptions, and this we now very earnestly do. . » _

"H. J. H. BLOW. "F. FITCHETT "J. HISLOP. "WILLIAM M. WRIGHT "(Vice-Pres. Public Service Assn.). "Wellington, May 20, 1915." PATRIOTIC CONCERT. OVER £60 COLLECTED. Members of the Commercial Travellers' and Warehousemen's Club Committee and their big band of helpers had oyery reason to bo pleased with the result of the Patriotic concert held in the Town Hall last night. The concert was promoted to augment the funds for the relief of New Zealand's wounded soldiers and sailors. Thanks to the energy of the Commercial Travellers and their friends it proved a great success for when the collection at the doors was completed, it was found that the sum of £60 18s. 6d. had been obtained. Every seat in the large hall was occupied long before the appointed time of starting and many late arrivals had to be content, with standing room. The programme was an attractive one, arranged by- Mrs. Fred. S. Montague, of. Dunedin. It included the following items Organ! solo, Mr. H. Temple White; song, "In Oberon In Fairyland," Mr. Hugh Wright (Dunedin); monologue. "The Knight," Miss Betty I Purdom; 'cello solo, Mr. Frank Johnstone ; song, Miss Driscoll; recitation, "The Great Appeal," Mr. J. Culford Bell; song, Mr. G. Blackie (Dunedin): violin solo, Mr. M. H. Elhvood; monologue, Mis}S Dorothy Gard'ner (of "The Violets); recitation, "Our Boys at the Dardanelles," Miss Betty Purdom. The accompanists were Mrs. Montague and Misses Elhvood and Helen Gard'ner. Encores were general and Miss Dorothy Gard'ner had to respond twico.