FRENCH TRICOLOUR DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 19, 22 January 1916, Page 6

FRENCH TRICOLOUR DAY.

AIX-DOMINION CELEBRATION. MOVEMENT TAKEN UP IN AUCKLAND. A meeting of delegates of patriotic organisations and various clubs and societies in Auckland was held at the Chamber of Commerce last night, With the object of furthering the proposal for the holding of a French Tricolour Day throughout tho Dominion. Profes6or ° Maxwell Walker, president of the French ' Club, occupied the chair. The French *: Consul (M. Rigoreau) was present. i The chairman read apologies from the head of the Boy Scout movement and 3 from Rabbi Goldstein, both of whom intimated their desire to do adl in their power to further the movement. The r chairman explained that the French Club ° had beeu instrumental in collecting ! throughout the Dominion a sum of about £1000 for tho French Red Cross Society, c most of which had already been remitted * to France. Further effort was suspended to avoid clashing with the fund in aid of New Zealand wounded soldiers, but it was now proposed to organise a "French c Day" throughout New Zealand. He ' thought that a contribution was worth ' making, if only from a sentimental point of view. It would show that New * Zealandcrs were heart and hand with c their gallant allies in their struggle for i the good of humanity. (Applause.) ' ' On the motion of the chairman, eec- * onded by Mr R. Applegarth, a resolution * was submitted to the meeting in favour « of all present forming themselves into a ' committee, with power to add to their ' number. This was cordially supported ' by Mr C. J. Tunks (tor Auckland Red ' Gross Society) and Mr A. G. Limn (for < the Ladles' Patriotic Association), and ' •unanimously agreed to. The meeting elected M. Duflou honor- ' ary secretary and organiser. M. Duflou explained that it was proposed to devote ' the day of celebration to' sales of ' flowers, sweets, etc., with some crowning function in the evening. It was also ' proposed to ask proprietors of picture ' halls to present programmes composed ' of French subjects. An executive was appointed as fol- < lows:—Mesdamcs Lucas Bloomfield, C. Smith and *£inder, Messrs H. H. Hunt, I A. G. Cooke, R. Applegarth, A..G. Lunn, G. Davis, C. R. Munro, and the president and secretary of the French Club. The French Consul (M. Rigoroau) ac- ' cepted an invitation to address the gathering. Ho said that tho French Government had been more than pleased with the sympathetic aid from New Zealand. In closing, he expressed the hope that the troublous times through which Great Britain and France were now parsing would tighten the bonds which existed between them.