PEACE CELEBRATIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17687, 26 July 1919, Page 10

PEACE CELEBRATIONS

MINUTE BY THE MAYOB. APPRECIATION OF THE CITY COUNCIL. Tlhj following minute by the Mayor was placed beforo the City Council at its meeting on Thursday night:— '"I'ho public in general must bo congratulated on tlio part it played during tho lostivities. Its response was all that could bo desired, and, as the Mayor of this city, I consider it one of my duties to thank tlio citizens for their assistance, and to expret3 my appreciation of tho splendid manner 'i* v ' ll i cil they rose to tho occasion, riglit throughout tills historic psriod. . " Ladies' Patriotic Organisation throughout the city, who carried out tho onerous duties of supplying refreshments, deserve our high praiso. Theirs was indeed a. lkbour of love, and tho appreciation of thoeo who benefited by their services was tho highest commendation these noblo women looked for. This appreciation would not bo complete without mention of tho excellent work done by tno Celebrations ominittee. In this short minute I am loth to mention any particular name, recogmsmg as I do tho able work done by ail, but tho magnificent work dono by Cr J. S. Douglas must of necessity be hero put on record.—(Applause.) In Cr Douglas wo had tho roaster mind and supervisor of j 6 organisation, and it is undoubtedly due to his untiring energy and tho wholo-hfcarted work rendered by every member of tho Peace Celebrations Committeo, that wo havo been able to carry out one of the most successful, if not the most successful, functions of its kind ever c< *** this city.—(Hear, hear.) I also wish to place on record my •warm appreciation of tho manner in which the Of tho corporation employees carried "IJ their respective duties in connection with the poaoa celebrations. Special praiso is due to tho tramway employees and staff for tlio considerate and courteous manner in whioh they handled tho travelling publio unaer very trying circumstances. Tlio employees of tho electrical power and lighting works and reserves departments have also to be congratulated on tho wort thoy cheerfully performed. Iho police are worthy of commendation for tho excellent manner in which earned out their trying duties, and to tho Licensed Victuallers' Association I wish to express my thanks and appreciation for their unanimous and whole-hearted support and assistance. "To the musical societies and bandsmen of our city who willingly respond to many public calls are due a special word of thanks for their services. The manner in which they responded contributed in no small ctegTeo to the carrying through of our —("°p^lai^ C ) lonS to 60 suocessful an issue." Cr Green moved the adoption of the minute, and Cr Clark seconded the motion r Larnach said he would like to draw attention to one thing. In his opinion the diwf f W h ot go u tho rt fr om conncillors that he ought to have had throughhi I'h' They COQld shako f ' • I) , owcver ' ' waa what ho - 6 sin< T rsly hopo<} on any future occasion when the Mayor had to anP e -. ln H PUb,,C 01 " 1 ' 0 " 5 do a little on this occasion. Or oincoek: Hear, hear. Tho motion was then carried unanimously.

n - NORTH-EAST HARBOUR. fkiu j W °° the sciiooi children and Menzies, erected a o u on . et * fr ° of fcho cliff, just betow the school and overlooking the harbour. ihe wood was dragged a good distance and stacked up, and with . much f 1 empty tar barrel was rolled and pushed to the top. In the evening th 0 stack was well sprayed with kerosene, and about 8 o clock, in tho presence of many children and parents, a light was set to it. It blazed up immediately lasting for a few hours. Besides the bonfiro the boys had prepared unique designs punched out on tho sides of kerosene tins, which wero lined on the inside with red paper. When illuminated with candles they made quite a bright display, which could be seen from Dunedin. On o i ? afternoon three members of the ] JD°mmittc° paid a visit to the school nSv w V nof , , ad( ?ress by the chairman (Mr W. Rowlands) the children wero presented with souvenir flags and invited to a lantern lecture and tea in the hall on Saturday evening. On Saturday evening a great many of the children and their parents were present, but those who visited Dunedin to see tho processions, etc., could not return till 10 p.m.,, unless, as some parents did, they hired taxis. The lantern was manipulated by Mr Simpson, who also made a tew remarks on the pictures, which wero very varied. That the children wero satisfied was evinced by the hearty applause and the rousing three cheers they gave at the close of tho exhibition. An adjournment was then made to tho well-filled and beautifully decorated tables, where the wants of the inner man were Ibountifullv satisfied. Much credit is due to the ladies who worked so well to please the children. On Sunday the Rev. G. MTDonald took the service in the forenoon, but the attendance was very small Monday evening was devoted to a social for adults, which was a great success toe time being filled in with' dancing, cards' and a few items of recitation, followed bv supper. J

middlemaech. The peace uajrs woio cuteuraced at MiddleniaccU Vi'lUi uia eiitniisiamn wiiicii is characLuriaLic oi residents o: tha district. Most oi tho time on t>aturuay was aevot-ecl to tho cnilaroii. JLhe proceedings began witn a procession, winch is said to Jaave been tiie largest yet seen in Ule fatratn laien. Many oi the displays were decidedly original, and would havo done credit to any lunction in a city. The spectacle of the decorated vehicles, motor cars, eta, was higiny eli'ectave, while a commendable display was given by the Middleinarck school children, representing all the Allied nations in national costumcs and the lied .Cross. I'he Sutton and JNgapuna Schools, with the girls from the Salvation Army iiome, made a good show with a liberal supply of Allied national flags and other 'bunting. The procession was headed by the Middlemarch Brass Band, assisted at times by the bagpipes. played by Pipo-major Craig. Ihen followed the returned soldiers, school children, decorated vehicles, and a number of well-conccivc-d merry-making devices. On arrival at the Show Ground addresses were given by the president of the Peace Committeo (Mr A. M'Kinnon), Mr R. Scott, M.1., who spoke in interesting terms of tli» great peace which was being celebrated and the llev. H. Bloomfield, who spoke to tho children about the great days in which they lived. A varied programme included children s sports and a footiball tournament and all those present spent a very pleasant day. The proceedings were enlivened by selections by the band, under the capablo leadership of Mr H. L. Gibson. At ni<*ht a fireworks display controlled by the returned soldiers attracted a large gathering. On Monday another sports programme was gone through. Very good entries were received llio most interesting items were a fancv costume football match, which was won by a team of ladies. Mr A. Williams who acted as referee, had little occasion to give many penalty kicks. A tug-of-war between the married and single ladies was a -very popular item, tho former proving their superiority. A men's tug-of-war attracted 14 entries, and provided a keen contest After a frao straggle tho married men had to yield ground to the single men. Other events included motor car obstacle driving greasy pig catcliing, and many other items which proved very enjoyable. In tho eveninsr a plain and fancy dress ball was held in tho A. and P. Society's Hall. It was attended by a large number of district residonts, and proved very snccossful. Mrs H Movnihan and Mr G. Robertson acted as M.C.'s.

A_ tastefully designed souvenir order of service, in booklet form, for tho Peace thanksgiving service, was provided by the Strath Taieri Celebrations Committee. A very large congregation gathered in the A. and P. Hall, and to each person attending a copy of the souvenir was given. Interesting addresses -were given by Adjutant Wilson, of tho Salvation Armv, and tho Rov. H. Bloo'jiCold, on topics consistent with the day. A combined choir, under the leadership of Mr H. L. Gibson, gave a good rendering of Jackson's " Te Dcum Laudamns," and the sounding of tho "Last Post" by lieutenant Geo. Fisher after tho reading of the roll of honour for the district contributed to the impressiveness of the occasion. PINE HILL SCHOOL. The children of the Pine Hill School were entertained on Monday. Tho proceedings took tho form of sports, games, etc., for tho juveniles, and with an abundoncc of fruit and lollies, and a variety of toys, it was a day long to bo remembered by' them. Tho coinmitteo had done a lot of work in preparation, and had all arrangements well in hand. Quito a murtbor of parcnte wero present. A peace celebration ball was hold in the Greenfield Hall can Monday. Mr James Smith (acting chairman), in tho absenco of Mr A. Craig, opened tho proceedings with a short speech, remarking that for tho first timo sinco war was declared they wero bold in go. ball, not with, any idea of making

money, bat to commemorate the declaration ot poaco. At times thimgs looked very black for tho Allies, but tJuough bulldog tenacity they had come out on top, as they always would.—(Applause.) Ho was very pleased indeed to see so niuny returned men, a.nd hoped they would all bo back beforo long. Iho band then played the National Anthem, everybody joining in. Mr jund Mrs James Smith led the Grand March, in which 70 couples took part. Dancing was kept, going' merrily until 1.30 a.m.