"BOTTLE O!"

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 233, 20 June 1918, Page 6

"BOTTLE O!"

THE FIRST SALE OF EMPTIES FOR PATRIOTIC PURPOSES OF NAVY LEAGUE SUCCESSFUL RESULTS A queer sight was presented in the gymnasium hull of the Sydney Street Schoolroom yesterday afternoon, foreign entirely to tne usual aspect of the place, and strange to all eyes, save, perhaps, to some half dozen dealers of wide experience who were present on business bent. Set out on the floor were units, regiments, battalions, army corps of every description of bottlo known to the domestic circle, many of them recognisable from their shape, or colour, or label, and some that could only be identified by the cognoscenti, who were not to be "camouflaged" by the glib humour of the auctioneer (Mr. A. G. Wallace), who sold the lot at a rapid-fire rate, yet without ever missing the top bid.

llio sale of bottles had been arranged by the Ladies' Committee of the Wellington Branch of the Navy League, whose bright idea to collect and Bell bottles for patriotic purposes of the Navy League has met with a ready response. Yesterday's sale, which was highly .successful, is only tho beginning. It is the wish of tho committee that every person who admires "Jack Tar/' and Appreciates the superb work he is doing for the Empire, to constitute himself an instinctive bottle-hawker, to inculcate in the young and foolish the folly of breaking any bottle or bashing any tin (for all sorts and conditions of tins have a market value to-day), so that the boys in blue may have a taste now and again ot tho comfort we people are enjoying, remembering always that oui- lot is made pleasant in a very great measure owing to the Fleet of which wo are 60 proud. It was fitting, therefore, that tho first sale of bottles and tins should ,bo opened by the representative m New Zealand of His Majesty's Navy, Commander Hall-Thompson. That officer took his stand among the squads ct bottles, and expressed his appreciation of the good work which had been done by the ladies of the committee of the Navy League in devising the scheme to help the sailors by making such ' a wonderful collection of bottles. He said that the work of the league was to keep before the people of Che Jritim Empire the ever-present need of a strong, vigorous, and alert Navy, not only now, when that course was .so obvious to woryone, but oven after peace was signed, tor it was quite apparent that peace could only bo preserved by always having a strong Navy. Wishing the sale every success, Commander Ifall-Thonipsou retired from the bottled square and a few moments later figured among the bidders. Mr. Wallace commenced by selling boxes and bag 3 full of medicine bottles, all cleaned and graded, for the convenience of buyers. Tho 10 and 12oz. bottles brought as high as 2s. 7d. per dozen; a. line of l(i, 12, and lOoz. bottles realised 3s. 6d. dozen; Soz., 2s. 7d. and 2s. lOd. dozen; 210z., 2s. Id. dozen; and 40z., 2s. 2d. dozen. Empty "lysols" realised Is., 6d. dozen. A line of 2ez. phials brought' Is. dozen; and oven little {.lass ointment and rouge pots brought lOd. a dozen. Ono lino oft handsome glass-stop-pered bottles was knocked down at 175., and a box of . small scent bottles found a purchaser. Consumers of ale will bo surprised to learn that "quarts" realised lis; per doz. (3d. each), and a line of glass jam-jars realised Is. 7d. and 2s. per dozen respectively. Pickle' bottles (marked with firm's names) brought Is. 6d. per dozen, and "plain pickles" as high as 2s. lid. per dozen. ."Whiskies" (clear glass) brought 2s. 4d. per dozen, and tallnecked "vinegars" Is. Gd. per dozen. Though tho bidding was confined to a dozen buyers, prices held good throughout the sale, showing that the difficulty in getting any sort of bottles at the present time is a gravo one—that, in short, bottles are bottles, no matter what they contain,, and the public is paying a good proportion of the rising cost of living on the glass envelopes so necessary for the proper protection and keep of certain classes of goods. The sale of tins, which followed tho bottle sale, was equally successful. The tins with fit-on lids were m qrood demand, and housekeepers, cook?, etc., should remember that such tins, which usually find their way into the rubbishbins, can be turned into cash to help the patriotic purposes of the Navy League. The total sura realised bv vesterday's sale was not ascertainable last evening, but it is thought that it will be over. ,£BO.