ORDER OF ST. JOHN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 December 1939, Page 6

ORDER OF ST. JOHN

BABY CARNIVAL TO RAISE FUNDS. FIELD AGENT WORKING IN WAIRARAPA. Mr M. Miles, of Wellington, who arrived in Masterton yesterday, and will be spending some time in this district has been appointed as Field Agent for the Order of St John in furtherance of the campaign in which it is seeking to raise, throughout the Dominion, a sum of £50,000 for the work of the Order in the provision of buildings, equipment, uniforms, stores and the promotion of the activities of the St John Ambulance Association, the St John Ambulance Brigade and the District Nursing Service of St John. The method adopted of raising the desired, sum of £50.000 is the promotion. with the co-operation of picturetheatre managements, of a Dominion Centennial Baby Carnival. It is proposed that babies born on or after January 1, 1937, shall be eligible for entry. The entrance fee of 5s will entitle the entrant to receive a photograph of the baby, 10 feet of theatre-size cinematograph film of the baby, and the right to participate in the carnival. The competition will commence with the screening of films of the entrants for approximately four weeks at a particular theatre. The winner will be determined by free voting, patrons exercising one vote for each sixpence paid for admission. Prize of many kinds, it is stated, are being, and will be arranged. After each theatre has which it is expected will be reached ascertained its winning baby—a stage by March, 1940 —district competitions will follow. Thereafter 12 districts in the North Island will compete to find the North Island winning baby, and seven district in the South Island will compete similarly. Finally, the North Island and South Island winning babies will be pitted against each other to determine the national winner. The first prize in the national competition is to be £5OO. and the runner-up is to receive £250.

The Order of St John will receive a share of the takings of the picture theatres while the carnival is in progress. As the competition proceeds, votes will be placed in a suitable receptacle in the vestibule of each theatre and will be counted daily under the supervision of a person to be appointed by the local St John Ambulance Committee. Progress results will be posted in the theatre vestibules during the progress of the contest. Mr Miles hopes to promote the Baby Carnival in towns throughout the district from Pahiatua to Featherston.