RELIEF OF OVERSEAS POOR

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 102, 27 October 1914, Page 9

RELIEF OF OVERSEAS POOR

The objects of tho Poor of Great Britain. Ireland, and Belgium Relief Fund are to provide by voluntary contributions from tho people of New Zealand, food, clothing, and general assistance for those in distress in Great Britain, Ireland, and Belgium, as a result of the war. Mr. Lan Duncan, of Messrs. Levin and Co., Ltd., is hon. treasurer of the fund, and Mr. William Pryor (National Mutual Buildings) is hon. secretary to the Wellington branch. Mr. R. W. Shallcrass, of the New Zealand Sports Protection League, is general secretary for New Zealand. Subscriptions may be sent to either of the secretaries, while gifts of clothing, etc., should be addressed to the committee, and delivered to the nearest receiving depot. Lists of receiving depots will be supplied on application to tho Wellington secretary ('phone 2347). The following subscriptions have been received :—: — £ a. d. Previously acknowledged ... 1715 12 3 H.A.P 10 0 Residents of Makotuku, first ( contribution 54 2 1 Per Karangahake Branch N.Z. Sports Protection Lea.gue ("social" arranged by ladies) 10 0 0 Proceeds picture show by Mr. E. Hawken , 5 4 0 "51785 18 3

A DAY AT THE RACES 10 THI EDITBR. Sir,— Are we in a, small country town , or the capital of this Dominion? This is a question asked by a number of us this morning at the railway station. The method in which the public are catered for on race days is a standing disgrace to the railway authorities, but it goes on year after year — jammed like a lot of sheep in a dip race while the platform is kept empty and trains allowed to leave with any amount of standing room — women screaming and men jostling each other like forwards at a football match, is the method^ If this is up-to-date railway service it is time we imported someone who can , manage this sort of thing. Out at the course there are only about half enough paying out boxes, the consequence being the club loses money through there not being sufficient time after getting the dividend to reinvest. The club seems to forget that there" is only ' a small margin of time between 'each race, and when this is cut down to a few minutes, _as la often the case, it is hopeless trying to make an investment. Surely it is making enough money to pay a few more cashiers. The outside public are, of course, not catered for anything like they out to be. Instead of the space between the totalisator and the stand being covered with, tan bark, it_ is nothing but gravel, and the conveniences are fit for cattle. I suggest the management go to Otaki for a lesson or two in this direction, and to Auckland for a system of issuing tickets and paying out dividends. The racing public will evidently stand anything; it is nothing but a rough and tumble from getting a railway ticket at this end to getting back again. In Australia we have nothing of this sort, but, of course, they don't try and get through eight races in five hours. There was an accident on Saturday and another to-day at the first jump in the Steeplechase, and I believe a similar tiling happened some while back in the same place — the cause being a mad idea of trying to get a lot of horses to jump together over a space that will allow only a few. The start of this race being too close to the hurdle. Personally, I would never think of going to Trentham again; but,, on behalf of those who pay so expensively for their sport, I think you should point out pretty strongly the defects that exist. In my countrjf it is a pleasure to go to a race meeting, but here ib is a positive trouble. — 1 am, etc JOHN MORGAN. 27th October, 1914.