BIG CARNIVAL

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 52, 2 March 1921, Page 11

BIG CARNIVAL

SATURDAY'S OPENING

ENCOUKAGING PROGRESS

REPORTS,

. Final arrangements for the "Citizen S6ldiers' Carnival," in aid of the Community, Club, which will be opened in the Town .Hall on Saturday afternoon next, were made at a general meeting of carnival workers held in the Dominion Farmers' Institute lq^t night.' There, was a large attendance, over which Mr. A. Gray, K.C., chairman of the executive, presided.

The Chairman stated that the preparation? were very well advanced, and the success of the carnival effort was already assured. It had been decided to open the carnival in the Town Hall, at 3 p.m.. on Satudra,y next. The opening ceremony would be.performed by MajorGeneral Sir A. H. Eussel!, president of the league, ,and the following had been invited to speak : The Prime Minister (the' Hon. W. F. Massey)., the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. T. M. Wilford), the Minister of Defence (Sir Heaton Rhodes), the Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J. P. Luke), and the President of the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association (Mr. W. Perry). The carnival would be open afterwards and throughout the whole of the following week for the sale of goods, etc., the hours being from 3 to 5.30 p.m., "and 7.30 to 10 p.m. An orchestra, would be provided every afternoon and evening; besides well-stocked stalls there would be numerous sideshows, a,nd two first-class concerts would be given in the Concert Chamber each evening. Most encouraging reports had been received from the Decorations Committee and the artists, (Messrs. Hanna and King), and they were assured of one of the most original, attractive, and striking displays ever made in Wellington. They were promised a, treat they had not seen before. (Applause.) A member of the executive who had inspected the stalactites and stalagmites in the making stated that he had gone there with considerable scepticism, and was really surxpised at the results he saw. They were certainly realistic, and the colouring had been carried out by a special process with, remarkably beautiful effects. Special features of the caves were also being reproduced, such as the "Glow-worm Cave^' the "Fairy Mantelpiece," "Wedding Cake," etc., etc He thonght every one would be more than gratified by the display that was to be made.

The or^anisw (Mr. R, • Hill) stated' that entertainments that would be givemi would toe of a very high' class,- andy for the price of: admission to be chargedl, 6di per concert, would) bo the'cheapest ever offered in Wellington. • Owptain Galloway, Vocational Trains ing Officei", who was in attendance, caidl he had 1 just come from a visit to tha miliUry hospitals at Rotorua, Waipukurau, and Trentham, and desired -to ex-press the gratitude, of "the boys in hoajrital blue to the executive for its action in granting them, free of charge, a site for a stall for the! sale of goodsmanufactured) by them in hospital. That action was greatly appreciated, and lh» men in all the hospitals were working hard to make their stall the best of the lot. The work exhibited would 1 be fully representative of that done in all ths hospitals. The men, he addied:j had fully acquired the Community; Club spirits (Applause.) The Gbairman, in reply, said that, co far from considering that the soldiers vi^ero under an obligation to them,, they all felt that they were) under an obligation to the men who had fought and) suffered 1 in th« service of their country. (Applause.) The organiser (Mr. B. Hill) pointed out that the Vmea in hospital blue" had) not only been given ths b«at site in the hall without ballot, but ateo double the space allotted to any, other stall (Applause.) Mr. G. Mitchell, M.P., expressed the gratitude which all felt to the ladies who had taken up ths project so enthusiastically, and were, working so hard! for tha success of the Carnival. If they did not realise the amount aimed at they would certainly, gft* sufficient to enable them to start the Community Olub, and the balance would be raised by other functions later on.

Th« discussion of various details concladed the meeting.