£3OOO ART UNION.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19646, 15 June 1929, Page 16

£3OOO ART UNION.

SUCCESS OF MR HOLLAND'S SON, WILL VISIT NEW ZEALAND. SYDNEY, June 6. I* is »aid that despite official obstacles many thousands of tickets ia the art union organised by the Fire Brigades in New South Wales for the State hospitals were sold in New Zealand. It is not possible to say whether any of the prizes went to the Dominion, for there are sttti many that are unclaimed, but New Zealanders will feel considerable interest in the result, seeing that the fir&t prize of £3OOO went to the son of Mr Harry Holland, Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. The art union is regarded as one of the most successful ever organised in Australia, for the value of the tickets that were sold exceeds £ £9,000, so that the 149 prize winners had to be chosen from well over a million ticket holders. The ticket butU were placed in a large shuffling box, and IM numbered marbles were placed in a small box. A marble and a butt were drawn simultaneously, tho marble giving the number of the prize, and the butt the winner of that prise. A hospital "Queen" competition was run in conjunction with the art union, and this no doubt had much to do with the success of the major effort.

The name of the winner was not known until the day after the art union was drawn, and there was great excitement in a little home in Wattle street, Punchbowl, a suburb of Sydney, when it became apparent that Mr Cedrie Holland had won the prize. Mr Holland ia a sturdy young fellow, quite unromantic, and ~2 years of age. He had already decided to visit his father and mother in Westport, and very likely he was saving up for the trip which is his ambition. Now that success has come to him he is still intent on going to New Zealand. Uut he will wait a while. He is quite unromantic, aa already indicated, and said that he will remain at work. He is a competitor. "I have cabled the good new» te »v mother and father." said Mr Holland. "I have not deeided yet what I tvill de my money. 1 suppose I -Brill be able to "find some safe investment."