GIFT AFTERNOON.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 97, 18 October 1915, Page 2

GIFT AFTERNOON.

" For The Soldiers." A ready response to the appeal made by the Mayor ard Mayoress tor Christmas gifts for our gallant soldiers was given by the public of Pukekohe at the "Gift Afternoon" held on the Pukekohe Bowling Green on Saturday last. Favourable weather prevailed, and several hundred people attended. The function included croquet for the ladies and open bowling competitions for the men. Afternoon tea was proTided by the hdies. Presents of all sizes and ohapea, neatly wrapped in brown paper, suitable for quick despatch to the trenches, were forthcoming in large numbers, whilst a collection taken up to proviie fot the purchase of further gifts produced £ls 4s. A muscial programme by the Pukekohe Town Band was much appreciated and helped greatly towards the success of the gathering.

The Mayor, Mr H. (J. U. Mason, on behalf of the Mayoress thanked the ladies for assisting, the public for their attendance, ard the bowlers and band tor their services.

Mr Owen Cardster, the official organiser for the Auckland Carnival, at the request of the Mayor addressed the aes.mblage. he said that it gave him great pleasure to be in Pukekohe that afternoon. Judging by the table heavily laden with presents he was sure of the success of the function and he would not hesitate in asking other bowlers throughout the province to adopt the same idea. (Applause). As a sugges ion to the latiies in sending off their "oillies" to "our boy?," be suggestd that they should .adopt the plan Mrs Gunson, the Mayoress of Auckland, bad followed, tnat of putting a sprig ot manuka ia in each billy so that when opened "our boys" would have som.thing to remind them ot the land of th if birth or adoption. The Auckland Patriotic and War Kelief Association, he said, had sent bim ai organiser to fukekohe to spend a few davs in h Iping the Lower Waikato to organise and t> assist in any way be could to arouse local interest. tie had advised the Pukekohe Commit ee to do as other parts of th? Auckland Province were doing, to' hold a local Carnival Queen Election. If such were adopted local interest was sssured in the whole of the district by naving a local lady as their candidate, and he felt sure that every person present that afternoon would do their best for their local candidate. That day he bad held meetings at Waiuku, Tuakau, and Buckland, at.d the matter had been t;ken up inoßt enthusiastically. The public would realise the good it would do with each of the above mentioned districts, together with Papakura, Clevedon and Papatoetoe, each having their own local lady to support. They would do everything in their power to make her Queen of the Ljwer Waikato. That Carnival Election would be carried over a period of four weeks, then a coronation ceremony on the same lines es tbe Auckland coronation ceremony would be held at Pukekohe. All the funds raised throagh the medium of the local Carnival Election and the results of tbe coronation ceremony would go to the benefit of Mrs Bollard, the Queen of the South candidate, and whoever the lady crowned Queen ot the Lower Waikato she would b3 asked to attend the coronation ceremony at Auckland. He hoped that everybody present on*the green would do their utmost to help the movement, firstly, by attending the next public meeting, and, secondly, by assisting in every way they could to carry out the plan set down by the # local Patriotic Committee.