THE LATE ART UNION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4580, 8 June 1917, Page 5

THE LATE ART UNION.

A PRIZE-WINNER’S GRIEVANCE Yesterday afternoon Mr. J. D. Tustin visited the Times office with an advertisement, which appears elsewhere, announcing; that the set of carpeutei's tools won by him in the recent art union, and purporting on the art union tickets to be valued at £2O, were on exhibition at Ins business premises in Grey Street. ; At Mr Tustin’s suggestion a Times representative wended his way on a visit of inspection to the lucky winner’s prize exhibit, and was invited to place a value on the goods. It will be readily understood, of course, that a newspaper man would be completely out of his element as a valuator "of anything outside tne sphere of ink, paper, and paste, but our reporter facetiously suggested that he would prefer the £2O, not in carpenters’ tools, but in the hard coin of the realm. Mr. Tustin, however, was not inclined to treat tlie matter with levity. He had a grievance; he had expected much better worth; and, for the public’s sake as well as his own, lie wished the matter ventilated. If a mistake had been made in' stating the value of the tools on the tickets at £2O that was not his fault. The whole thing was unfair to donor and winner alike. After some further conversation, Mr. Tustin said there must be a mistake somewhere, and handed our reporter a copy of a letter he had written to the proper quarter in regard to the set of carpenters’ tools won by him in the art union. Grey Street, Gisborne, June 7, 1917. Chairman and membars, Patriotic Committee, Gisborne: Gentlemen, —I am sorry to approach you with a grievance, hut I consider that you will agree with me that it is a just one. I was successful in purchasing a winning ticket in votir recent art union, the' prize falling to me being, according to the ticket purchased by me; a set of carpenter’s tools, value £2O. I am sorrv to say that the tools in question, do not' in my opinion, reach this value, and I might also state that four local people who know the value of this class of goods better than I do, have valued them for mo. ... I would ask your committee to approach me doner of the prize, and ask him to supdl y cash in olace of the tools m question, and I will be quite prepared to allow £lO to be put back into the fund for winch the a t union was m aid of. iha-hu-, you in anticipation of having tbu> little matter righted,—l remain, yours faithfully, r] . TU gjj;j^