A THOUSAND A DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 255, 25 October 1907, Page 4

A THOUSAND A DAY.

V.M.C.A. COLLECTING CAMPAIGN, FUTUBE PLANS. (By Telegraph—Parliamentary neportor V WELLINGTON, Thursday/ At a farewell dinner to Messra T-,, L. Pierce and W. GillandeTnfe secretaries of the Young Men's Christen Association, held in Wellington this even ing, it was announced that the enersetin campaign of collecting which has been going on in the four centres, resulted in a little over a thousand pounds bein* secured to the associations on every working day of the campaign. Excluding Sundays and Dominion Day, said Mr Pierce, there were 51 working days iot the collectors, and the total result ia cash was £51,500. The gathering, which bid farewell to the remarkable organisers who roused the young men of each centre to such a splendid pitch of effectiveness, was of an extremely enthusiastic character. ! The Mayor of Wellington (Hon. T W. Hislop) spoke of the inspiration which Mr. Pierce and his colleagues been to every one of the V.M.C.A. workers in the Capital City. The Hon. Geo. Fowlds expressed the Auckland Association's appreciation of their efforts, Mr, Jas. Allen voiced the Dunedin opinion] and Mr. Keyes gave glowing praise from Christchurch. It was the general opiaion of these speakers that a new atmosphere had been created ia recard to V.M.C.A. work. Mr. Pierce supplemented what had been already said of the details of the collections, by stating that 5414 people made contributions in Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin. There were IGO who gave from £20 to £50, sixty .who gave £50, twenty-nine whose donations ran to £100, one who reached £150, three who spared: £200 each, six whose cheques were for £250, four of £500, and no fewer than nine of the items iv the list ran into four figures. Mr. Gillanders announced that the National Committee recognised the need for extending the Association's work to the country. Its idea was to have a corresponding secretary in every viU lage, who would keep in toucji with the national office and report the movements of young men from, village to village. They believed they would _be able to help in nolving the labour problem. i» country districts.