TRENTHAM ART UNION.

Taihape Daily Times, 4 July 1919, Page 5

TRENTHAM ART UNION.

The tea rooms of Messrs Kirkcaldie and Stains, in Wellington, on Tuesday night, revealed a busy.scene when the press representative looked in about nine o’clock. .» In the ce_n.t._re of the room. were long tables, and,a.t— eaeh,.sidc of these were seated scores of voluntary -workers who were St,l'erl.uously( occupied in opening and sorting the quail of the last twq days in connection with the Trentham Dominion Scholarship -Art Union. This mail consisted entirely of applications for tickets, enclosing amounts varying from 1/ to £5. There must have been some thousands of letters. and when it is considered that. this enormous batch represented only two days’ mail, it will be recognised wliatfa task will be involved in opening up all letters, writing tout. receipts, and recording and despatching tickets to each applicant. Purchasers who have written for tickets and who do not receive them for a day or two will now understand the reason for any slight d013.V in this respect. A large majority of the letters conhiincd coupons clipped from the newspaper advertisex‘nent.s, indicating the powerful influence of advertising upon the success of this scheme. One letter, by the way, came frolrii the Bellring‘el' of the late Queen of England. Many of others were from soldiers. and sold_— iers’ relatives, and good wishes for the success of the sclfcnrc on behalf of the soldiers’ children were plentiful.

One point was very strongly illustrated in the opening of these letters. A great many were requests for 1/ ticket. In each of these cases the sender had to send Ed fol' Postage: and also to enclose an envelope bearing another 1.35 stamp for the return of the ticket. This iepresexiteii 36. on each of these shillings———a. gain to the Government of 25 pef cent'on the receipts"in each case. VWlen the art union was launched a request‘ was made to the Government to grant free postal facili-‘ ties in its favour, but. this was refused. L: is Obvious what ti} handicap this has been to the cause, as there can be no doubt at all that the cost of postage deterred thousands of people for sending for tickets. ‘ . The workers On. Tuesday evening were volunteers from -the stafi of Messrs Kirealdie and Stains, Ltd., and the industrious andvmethodical manner in which they discharged their duties ‘demonstrated t.lia’i they x\"éfe‘:.tll warm supporters of this worthy object.

A considerable zunounf. ofwork still fcxwlains to be done before the'COllnnit—‘me can proceed to the drawifig, which has been fixed for the 31st .luly, at the Town Hall, VVcllin-gton. ' '