THE CARNIVAL COLLECTION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 151, 28 June 1915, Page 6

THE CARNIVAL COLLECTION

While we do not commit ourselves to an endorsement of some of the methods by which the Carnival collection was made, we must congratulate its promoters upon the magnitude of the financial result, for which a large number of hard-working,, enthusiastic, and sincere individuals must be awarded credit, Whatever may bo said of the means adopted, they undoubtedly inSpired this community, for several weeks, with the spirit of their own restless energy, and the outcome in cash is far in excess of the predictions of many people ,, who thought they knew their Wellington. The most wholesome lesson to be drawn from the Carnival is the value of a judicious admixture of the two forces of competition and cooperation. In its beginnings the Carnival "Queen" idea is competitive ; but once the ball has been set in motion by the spirit of competition, the system admits of a remarkable degree of co-operation ' among the loyal supporters of each of the rival "Queens." In some cases these supporters were banded together on a territorial basis (an example of which is the Hutt) ; in other cases the basis was military or vocational ; but whether the co-operat-ing units were similar or diverse, they undoubtedly accomplished a huge amount of hard and fruitful work. In particular, the Carnival produced a wonderful mobilisation of feminine labour, and to that fact is due a 'very large proportion of its financial success. The community can therefore acclaim the "Queen"' who won and till the other "Queens" who did nut win — nil being iiecaatui'jf lv _ihu working oui oj, ,Uic

ide&—-and can feel that an effort yielding over £60,000 was not in vain. Now, no doubt, the spirit of competition will bo again invoked, And other communities will start oub To try to lower Wellington's record.