RED CROSS DAY.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 October 1915, Page 4

RED CROSS DAY.

NEW PLYMOUTH'S FINE RESPONSE. NEARLY £450. COLLECTED. N«w Plymouth's response to Lord Lansdowne's appeal for funds to assist the British Red Cross organisations in Franco and the Near East will be a cheque for a suai of nearly £450, a most gratifying result, Collections for the Red Cross were made throughout the Empire last week (in most places on Thursday, Trafalgar Day). The generosity shown by New Plymouth on Saturday is emphasised by the fact that this town contributed over £IOO more than Dunedin, and considerably more than half the amount collected at Wellington. The approximate amount collected here was £443 13s lid, but when the results are checked and all the donations are in hand, the sum of £4,50 will probably be reached. The total is made up as follows: •

£ s. d. House to house and street collections 298 0 0 Red Cross Market Receipts 50 0 0 Donation to Red Cross Market from Dr. and Mrs. Walker 50 0 0 Victoria League donation ... 30 1 5 St, Andrew's Church Guild donation ' 11 8 0 St. John Home Nursing Ladies' Class, donations 5 6 0 Witiora Golf Ciui donation 112 0 Total ...^.-......... '£B3 13 11

Included in the street collections was a cheque from Messrs. Ambury Bros for £lO.

There was everything to make the day a favorable one for collection purposed The sky and weather gave a glimpse of summer and induced an unusually large number of people to be in town; the ladiea offered their services in such large numbers that the organisers were able to arrange for a house to house canvass that would be so corapleto that the smallest cottage would not be overlooked, while the army of collectors In the business centre was so active in its work that few escaped the insistent appeals. The ladies had a tyring day, but their reward is in the satisfaction of knowing they did splendid work for a good cause. The collectors started at nine o'clock in the morning, and until nine o'clock at night the town was thoroughly canvassed. In the evening, the streets were thronged with people, and the Citizens' Band played a number of selections. '

The assistance given by the Red Cross Mart was an important factor in the success of the day. Early in the the ladies in charge'set out to mako a special effort, and their appeal for goods mot with a generous response from countryfolk and townspeople, while the business done established a record in the brief, but creditable, career of the mart. Many people who visited it made donations in money, and the returns showed the satisfactory s um of £SO. ThiH was increased to £IOO, by a generous donation of £SO from Dr.-and Airs. Walker. A number of little girls—Eleanor Gray, Rita Hempton, Dolly Barry, Barbara arid Betty Allen, Maud and Katherine Healy —contributed £ 12 8s to the funds of the mart by selling sweets fend flowers in Devon Street. Another useful collector was Master John Barton, who made a brave showing in a soldier's uniform, and who returned his collection box well filled on three occasions. The little fellow worked morning, afternoon, and evening, and collected nearly £6. Amongst the collectors were a number of nurses from the New Plymouth Hospital, and they were provided with an impetus to their work by the offer of Mr R. Deare of a pair of shoes to the one who collected the largest amount. There were eight of these ladies collecting, and between them they gathered £B2 5s 3d. Nurse Hodge won the prize with £6 6s lOd, her total exceeding that-of'Nurse Kennedy by eight-ponce. The individual amounts collected by the nurses were: Nurse Hodge £5 8s 10d, Nurse Kennedy £5 6a 2d, Nurse Symons £4 15s, Nurse Jackson £4 7s 4d, Nurse Hempton £4 Is 4d, Nurse Daplyn £3 Ss 6d, Nurse Taylor £3 4s 8y 2 d, and Nurse Paget £1 lis 6d,

The ararngeinents for the collection wore carried out by the Deputv-Mayor (Mr. W. A. Collis)", and Mrs. 'Ooekrill (hon, secretary of the St. John Ambulance Association), and the fallowing were the collectors: Mcsd.inies. M. Armstrong, Blacklcy, Duff, X. Allen. Gray. Bevan. ft. W. Browne, Amburv, Monk, V. Veale, Wadworth, Tike; Misses Kindburp; (1), 'Mankelon. Bellow. Pelhani. Wade. Cut-field, Brooke, Eileen Bnllantync. W. Sole, Lee. Crrlson, Inglov {•>). Brewster. Ward. Billiard. Moua Corkill. Butt, Oleeson. Carter, Lindstrom. flolding. Fay Bayly. Doris May, Goldwater, M. Clarke, Howell. Gideon,'W. Webster. Collis, C. Ambury. D. Bradbury. L. Williams. Proudfoot. Gibson, MeGnhev. Wilson (2), Hunter, 0. Mnekay, Jackson, Browne. TTcaly, Fonhy, Warren, Wilmhurst, Rielly, Harkeiy Woodman, and Master John Barton.

Thanks arc due to Messrs. J. Paton. W. Bewley, X. T. Maunder, G. T. Mur : ray, Wnldie and Tl. Goodacre for the use of their motor-ears for collectors, and To the Citizens' Baud.