VICTORIA LEAGUE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4579, 7 June 1917, Page 2

VICTORIA LEAGUE.

WORK OS' THE PAST YEAR

AN INTERESTING REVIEW.

Yesterday afternoon a very successful social afternoon was Held 1 by the members of i the Victoria League, Mrs W. Barker presiding. The function took place in the Women’s Club Rooms, and during the afternoon several reports bearing upon the activities of tne League were presented, and also an address was delivered upon the work of the League by Airs. Carey-Hill, of Christchurch.

ANNUAL REPORT. The secretary of the local branch, Miss Grey, presented the annual report for the year ended May 31. The report stated: •‘Last' year we had SG members. Already this year several more have joined, and we hope soon to have quite fa large membership. “The Victoria League work for the past year has been the Red Cross Shop, and in the 12 months that it has been open £4OOO lias been made. ' “Before 'the shop was started wo had a sale of flowers and produce in aid of the Russian prisoners in Germany fund. This raised £3ll, which was sent through the Auckland Victoria League to Countess Berckendorff in London, and acknowledged by herC “The money raised by the shop has. with the exception of two sums, all boon sent to the British Red Cross Society, London, ‘ through the headquarters of the Victoria League, and each amount cabled has been acknowledged by both societies as it lms been received. The exceptions are £SO, which was sent to the Auckland Victoria League, as our ..share in an ambulance given by the branches of the League in Now Zealand, ■and £l4O, which was given to the Mayor as the Victoria League contribution towards the Red Cross Day hold in November. “At the Hospital and Red Cross Fete, held here in December, the Victoria League had two stalls —a doll stall (Airs R. White), and a sweet stall (Airs Stevenson); several articles, including a dolls’ house, were raffled. “Expenses in connection with the shop have not been very heavy- — mostly things for the shop—linoleum, butcher’s knife and steel, cupboard, telephone, materials for decorating stalls, etc. The regular expenses are rent —for tiie first three months Air Lysnar gave us the shop rent free — advertising, and the weekly cleaning of the shop. The Gisborne Cleaning Coy. clean the windows once a month free of charge. “We have also had some generous donations of money which have gone direct to England with the shop money; the sum of £250 from the Gisborne (sheepfarmers’ Coy shouldbe mentioned, also regular monthly contributions from the staff of the Bank of Now Zealand ; £39 18s 0d from the Citizens’ Defomo Committee being balance of lied Crews Fund; £ll 15s from concert, Airs JexBiake; £ ! 13s 9.1 offertory, Presbyterian Church: £l7 3s !;d onertory, English Chun h ; many others have been included in the woeklv shop lists.

‘•Ala'li credit is' due to Mrs Reynolds, who organised am; has Kept going an extremely sac cevsiul "ark stall, which accounts'for a good proportion of the takings each Saturday. ••We wore asked recently by the President of the Hospital Committee, heathers ton, if we could send lemons from Poverty Bay, for the use of patients in the military camp hospital. This has been taken in hand, and Airs Nolan is arranging a regular supply for as long as possible. “Meetings have been heal as usual on the first Wednesday or each month, the only alteration being that all meetings are held in the shop. 4he General Shop Committee meetings have been held the second Vi ednesdav of every second month. All members may attend these meetings, though they have no vote in iho decisions of the committee. Attendance at meetings has improved during the past year. ••We wish to record our thanks m all who have so kindly assisted to make the Red Cross Shop a success. Red Cross work makes an appeal to all —in fact, it is the.duty of all —and the shop has become a much bigger thing than _w e dared to hope at the outset. bhis the committee could not have managed without very hearty support, not only from the League, but from many others as well. , , r . “Special thanks are due >o Major Deere, who attends at the shop at the close of each Saturday and counts and takes over the receipts; also to Air Davies, our treasurer w tor ms valuable services, and to Alt’ I icsse as auditor; to Barker Bros-, who donated the bulk of the meat for tne shops; also Messrs H. B. Williams, Spence, Faulkner, and Bloomfield Bros., and those others who also provided sheep.”

BALANCE -MEET

Tim statement of receipts and! expenditure, prepared by tbe lion: treasurer Mr O', r. Davies, showed that the total receipts for June 3, to May 28 was £5029 1-s <«. Sales at the shop aggregate Jio Greater proportion, and the amount from that source, including donations was £4553 Is 4d; special donations amounted to £338 11s 3d, and lie Cross Dav £l4O. Tho amount remitted to the Victoria League, London. through the Bank ol .Non //«- land, was £4,600; rent of shop amounted to .£144; other expenses to •£72 5s 7d; cost of cabling money to London, £22 4s 4d; share ol motor ambulance, Victoria League ~-W, proceeds Red Cross Day paid to Mi Wrratt, £l4O, leaving a credit balance of £1

WORK STALL

A report was received Mom M's Reynolds and was read by Mrs W. \V' Williams, concerning the- voi* stall This stall, wrote Mrs Reynolds, was started in the last Saturday in July last ami had already made £899, and sho; hoped £LI>W would' he reached hv the end of their year in July. AYe had nearly ,0 regular workers and contriuntors or work or monthly subscriptions; in addition £45 had been received m donations. Mention was made of £7 10s given bv Miss Rees' pupils, who o-ava up their prizes to subscribe the amount.- Donations were also received from Mr \A • C- Suorratt, M'r and Mrs Jamison, Miss Loisei, Mrs Busby, and Mr J. Morris. Mrs J Murphy and Mrs Burke have also helped largely with niateiiak I have also to thank Mrs H 7 Ivohway for a large parcel from the AVaerenga-a-liika Church Fete, and Mrs. R. J. Reynolds, who supplied' material tor Vi’ovie which she g&VG out to ho ciong, and very many other contributors • whose names have not been sent in. ■ln suite of all, it lmd been very difficult‘to keep the stall going, but since the district scheme started things have gone better as the different districts were -now sending contributions to the stall and doubtless doing some, buying too. In conclusion, Mrs Reynolds "banked the manage cent for their kindness q.iid courtesy'in acceding to any suggestion she made for the good of tlio stall. Mrs. Carey-Hill. of Christchurch, gave a very interesting address on the Victoria League mid its objects, (reported elsewhere). Afternoon tea was served' and musical items given. Mrs Fergus Dunlop and Airs F. de Lautour played, and Miss • Coop sang. A. business meet in y of the League will be held next-Wednesday, when the election of officers will take place and other business transacted.