SALES AT THE OPERA HOUSE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2421, 29 March 1915, Page 6

SALES AT THE OPERA HOUSE

SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS . There was a large audienco present at the final performance of the PJimmer Hall Patriotic Company oil Saturday evening. The evening was commenced with the sale by auction of a number of articles which had been handed in for sale to the management for the benefitof the Belgian Fund. The first article offered was a toy policeman, sent ill with a quaint little note from little L. Taylor, a Ivilbirnie mite of eight years, who explained that unlike most policemen this particular one would work—on being wound up. After Miss Beatrice Day had exerted her auctioneering qualities to the full, tho doll was knocked down to Mrs. W. Riddiford for £5. Then two pairs of men's golf stockings, knitted and sent in by a widow, were put up and knocked down to Mrs. Nelson for £2. A very fine Maori mere, made from the bone of a sperm whale, presented by Mr. W. Brooke-Taylor, was bought by Mrs. W. Riddiford for £3. Mr. L. B. James paid £10 for a guipure lace bedspread said to bo worth double the money, and which was presented by Mrs. Mead. Mr. A. G. Wallace, acting as auctioneer, sold spirit tantalus for £3 10s. to Mr. Edgar Soldi; a water-colour, by Mr. Walater Leslie for 10s.; a Spanish black lace mantilla to Mr.'L. B. James, and to the same buyer a black satin cushion for £I—in all £26 10s.

The company also received a donation of 10s. from_ "Limelights"; £1 from Dr. Platts-Mills (who bought the doll for £3). and os. for a cake that was sent in and sold to the stage-hands. The sale of souvenir programmes (at 6d. eaoh) realised £32 for the seven, nights, and Mrs. M'Vicar and her band of young lady assistants deserve' all credit for the good work they did every evening. All outstanding moneys for goods purchased are to be-sent in to Mr; H. Amos, care of Banks' Commercial College, Woodward Street, who will acknowledge same and forward the money to tho management. A GOOD COLLECTION PATRIOTIC SOCIETY'S EFFORT. The result of tho demonstration and stieet collection on Saturday organised by tho New Zealand Patriotic Society must have been very' gratifying to the promoters. Some while ago they invited the public to keep Saturday, March 27, in mind as a day on which tliey would bo asked to do something special l'or the starving Belgians, but it seemed that the public had been asked to subscribe in so many different ways by so many different sets of people in the meantime that the Patriotic Society's appeal was likely to be forgotten. It was tho more satisfactory to the society therefore, that the response of the people was generous. The final totals of the sales and collection are not yet available, but already £100 is in haiid. There are a good number of boxes, somo i>o or 60, not yet returned, however, and these may contain JDoO of even £100.

The weather for the whole day was perfect, a circumstance which was no doubt one of the biggest contributors to the success of the venture Eurlv in tho afternoon the parties of "line gentle-/ mcti," imitation "Indies," ancfotlier jieople wearms eccentric or srotetijue

clothes, began to muster in front of the Government Printing Ollice, to form presently into a procession. The staff of the printing house took a leading part in the show. The strangely assorted little crowd rodo in a string of just as strangely assorted vehicles —a fire brigade ongine, motor-cars gaily decked, motor lorries, and other trade vehicles, all gaily decked with bunting. Boy Scouts were there too, most of them on bicycles more or less trimmed with Belgian or British colours. From time to time halts were made, and the strangely-costumed people went round among the spectators lined along the street conducting a most vigorous canvass with collection boxes. Two bands in the procession played patriotic airs. At some of the stops, auctioneers, Messrs. A. G. Wallace, A. Jacobs, and James Dykes, all of whom have already freely given their services for patriotic objects, sold such gifts as were in hand For this purpose, and invariably the bidding was generous and spirited. While the auctions were going on, of course, the collectors were not idle. The procession went right through tho city to Newtown Park, where there " were more and also a few frivolities by the fancifully-dressed ones. A patriotic speech was made by the Mayor (.Mr. J. P. Luko), who congratulated the society on its successful effort, and thanked tne more active participants for for all that they had done. At his call the crowd gave cheers for the society and its helpers.

Besides the collections and auctions which occurred in conjunction with the piocession, there wore other collections and other auctions at likely street corners where crowds congregated. Indeed, all day long a. regular collection was made by ladies with boxes at the UMial corners all over the city, and a great many of them also' made modest displays of ribbons or miniature flags. In the eveniug the members of the society attended tho performance in the Opera House by the Plimmer-Hall Company. DONATION OF £100 PER MONTH. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Napier, March 27. Sir. J. H. Coleman, who has given liberally to various patriotic funds, 1 has intimated that he will give '£100 monthl.y towards the relief of Belgian distress. ST. JOHN'S CHURCH SUBSCRIBES £140. A collection made in aid of the Belgian Fund as the congregation retired from St. John's Church yesterday yielded £140. MAYOR'S (NEW) FUND. £ s. d. Amount previously acknowledged 750 11 10 Vivian Street Baptist Church tin addition to previous donation of £100) 15 12 2 Normaudale Social Conmiit- ■ tee 1 12 6 Total 767 IB 6 THE "DOMINION" LIST. Contributions to the fund for the relief of the Belgians in distress will subsequently be torwarded to the authorities in Belgium for distribution:— £ s. d. Previously acknowledged 22,996 10 11 "Mauavratu Evening Standard," Palmerston Xlolief Fund subscriptions 22S 14 8 "Mauawatu Evening Standard," Palmerston North 37 10 0 Cook County Women's Guild, Gisborne (per Mrs. Agnus Scott) 21 0 0 Robert Orr, Lower Hutt (further donation) 10 0 0 Staff, J. B. M'Ewan and Co. (March instalment) 10 0 0 Miss Peggy Partridge (second instalment) 110 , Total 23,304 16 7 Prior to the procession on Saturday a well-known Petone comedian, Mr. F. V. Rutherford, in his favourite, role of "The Bogy Man," visited most of the Petone shops, collecting on behalf of the Belgian Fund. His efforts were rewarded after a day's collecting in Petone and Wellington to tho extent ot £2 7s. 4d.