A Successful Carnival.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15449, 30 November 1915, Page 6

A Successful Carnival.

Tho Auckland Carnival, organised with tho purpose of raising £250,000 for the Patriotic Fund.j eaino to a buccessful

conclusion yesterday. The proceeds of the Carnival have amounted to over £2G0,000, and the Patriotic Fund now amounts to very nearly £3-30.000. These are impressive figures, and represent a sum per head of the population which would produce nearly thirty millions sterling for a similar carnival in London. Outside their own province, the people of Auckland are regarded as unpleasantly parochial, and a little too much inclined to speak and act as if Auckland were the only portion of the Dominion of any real importance. While | wo have sometimes felt that they have occasionally carried this to absurd lengths, we in the South have always been able to admire their energy and enthusiasm, and their pride in their firm city and the magnificent provinco which will make it finer and greater yet. Indeed, many poople hero must often have thought that wo should not be any the worse off if some of the Auckland spirit of enterprise and enthusiasm were to descend upon otir own citv and province. Tt was to be expected that a, community go alive and energetic, and so eager to 7 keep their city from falling behind, \vould raise a very large sum for the Patriotic Fund once it w?t itself seriously to worlc The Carnival was organised with the express, object of raising l'2o0,000; to collect that sum did not appear too great a task to the sanguine and ambitious people of the North. Their hopes have been more than fulfilled, and they deserve the ungrudging congratulations of the people in the other provinces. It is unfortunately the case that in their zeal son e of the people, engaged in carrying out the Carnival went to uddesirable lengths in exploiting the spirit of: speculation, but wo- are not amongst those who will say that the gambling has really done anybody harm. One result of tho Carnival will, of course, be the inspiring of tho people of this province with a desire to make a hand-some success of tho Carnival now in process of arrangement. Probably it. will not be considered possible that the Auckland record will he. surpassed, because tho Auckland province contains a far greater population than Canterbury does. Moreover, the bulk of the contributions in relief of the Belgians has come from Canterbury, which has subscribed about £100,000 in money and in kind for that purpose. Nevertheless we are confident that if tho public makes a serious effort to display as much energy and enthusiasm as Auckland, a sum can be raised for the Patriotic Fund which will do credit to tho province.