A BRILLIANT FESTIVAL.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 22 October 1930, Page 6

A BRILLIANT FESTIVAL.

CHERRY BLOSSOM FAIR OPENED BY MR LINKLATER, M.P.

METHODIST BUILDING FUND EFFORT. One of the brightest fairs ever held in Levin was opened in the Century Hall yesterday afternoon by Mr J. Linklater, M.P. In welcoming Mr Linklatcr, the Rev. Win. Beckett said he was sure their visitor was glad to get away from the affairs of state, if only for an afternoon, seeing that he had already had 67 days of strenuous work in tue interests of the country. He explained that the Levin Methodist Church had a nucleus of £2OO towards a new church, and the ladies of' the congregation had put their minds to it and had been thinking and planning and working to augment that fund by at least £IOO. They were proud of their efforts and thankful for such a body of artistic and energetic workers. Mr Linklater said it was a pleasure to be present at this Cherry Blossom Fair. It was the first function of this designation that he had opened, and he had been somewhat curious, but was now agreeably surprised. The work of the ladies was evident, for no mere man could have made such a good job of it. Cherry blossom was usually associated with Japan, but in ti ax elling through New Zealand there was evidence of plenty of it here. It denoted that spring was well on the way, and, although the weather was at present ’ unsettled, summer would be here before long. SOUNDNESS OF THE COUNTRY. The member for the district went on to say that he was as pleased as anyone to know that this week would bring about the end of the session. Residents of the country, with their open spaces and fresh air, had a lot to be thankful for. As a politician he had done his best, but he was not a statesman yet. He congratulated the ladies on their successful effort, and assured those present that there was plenty of scope for profitable investment. People generally felt sure that they were now right down to the bottom of the slump and that things would soon be well on the way to improvement. Butter was already 'up 4s per cwt., and better news could be expected as the days went by. Although a representative in Parliament, he was directly intertested in farming. When prices were low the only thing to do was to increase production. More must be got out of the land to meet taxes and other expenses. In this direction topdressing had had wonderful results. A farm that had previously carried 1500 sheep was top-dressed two years ago and was to-day carrying 2100 and they were doing well. There were in New Zealand to-day 30,637,390 sheep—the largest number, in the history of the Dominion—and last year's figures showed an increase of 1,500,000. Dairymen were also realising the value of topdresssiug, as well as of herd-testing. By the latter the farmer was able to find out which were his “duds" and send them to the freezing works. In 1921-22 there were only 45,000 cows under test in the Dominion, but the number had now increased to over 300,000. This had resulted in a but-ter-fat increase from an average of 175 lb. to 2251 b per cow, and during the last two years an average increase of 27 lb. of fat per cow had been realised by the dairymen of New Zealand. ,At an average price of Is 3d, this represented £2,750,000 added to the dairy industry. Mr Linklater again expressed his pleasure in having the honour of opening such a very fine show, and hoped that the promoters would realise a very satisfactory amount from their Cherry Blossom Fair. | Mrs Blenkhorn apologised for the absence of His Worship the Mayor, who had to attend the Regional Planning Conference and found it impossible to leave that meeting, but sent his best wishes. She congratulated the ladies on their effort and hoped the stalls would all be emptied and a substantial sum realised. The Mayoress was presented with a handsome bouquet by Miss Merle Kennerley. WHERE BEAUTY REIGNS. On entering the hall one cannot fail to be impressed by the artistic arrangement of the stalls and their bright appearance. Closer inspection reveals the fact that it is not only the beauty of the decorations that attracts the eye, but that the stalls are laden to the fullest capacity with goods that are worthy of inspection. Busy fingers have worked overtime to prepare an array of useful as well as artistic articles that would grace any home. Then there are the produce, cake, sweet and flower stalls and Mr Gibson’s jumble stall that also have an abundance of. goods to offer. The following are the stalls, etc,, and the personnel responsible for them:

Produce Stall—Mesdames Toniliu son, Cummings, Cockrell and Davison.

Sugar Bag Stall.—Mesdames Kcnnerley, Andricksen, Osborne, Allen and 'Treen.

Apron Stall. —Mesdames Holdaway, Thompson, J. W. Gibson and Miss Kelly. Jumble Stall. —Mr J. W. Gibson. Cake Stall. —Mesdames Kirk, Parker, W. Ransom and W. H. Walker. Handkerchief Stall. —Mrs Bassett and Miss Lill. '

Plants and Flowers. —Mesdames Gardner, Prouse, L. G. Adkin, Broomfield and Miss Scdcole.

Kitchen Stall. —Mesdames Beckett, Rawson, Hawker, Watkins, Chalk and Miss Beckett.

Ladies’ Wear Stall. —Mesdames Goldsmith, Meyers, Storey, Pirani and A. Mudgvvay. Fancy Work Stall. —Mesdames Plaster, A. Ransom, Misses Laing (2), E. Parsons, C. Parsons, Chalk, Tomlinson (2), Plaster, Ransom, Plumridge, and Meyers. Sweets Stall. —Mesdames J. T. Oak, W. S. Salmons, Signal, Parsons and Miss Oak.

Tea Room. —Mesdames Aldersey, H. Walker, Moxham, Plumridge, E. Baumhcr, Misses Melville, Sorensen and Kirk.

Art Gallery.—Messrs A. S. Allen, F, Allen and S. Parsons.

Finance. —Messrs Goldsmith and

The decorations, which evoked admiration from every visitor, had been carried out by Miss Whitaker, Mrs Morton and Mr P. W. Goldsmith. CONCERT BY MAORI PARTY.

Steady business continued to be done in the evening, when the hall was crowded, and the interest of the occasion was considerably heightened by a concert given by the Kuku and Springhill Maori parties. The items were pleasingly diversified, and all were rewarded with the applause which they thoroughly deserved. The programme was as follows: Part song “E pari ra,” company; instrumental trio (Spanish guitar, bass guitar and ukulele), Bill McMillan, Martin Winiata, and Howard Nicholson; vocal duet, Mrs Cribb and Miss May Wereta; long-poi dance, girls; canoe poi, girls; part-song, “Haere mai e hine, ” company (soloist, Charlie Winiata); vocal quartette, Mrs Ransfield, Miss May Wereta, Mrs Cribb, and M. Winiata; instrumental trio, Bill McMillan, Martin Winiata and Howard Nicholson; vocal trio, Miss Rangi Paipa, James Wehipeihana and Miss May Wereta; club drill, Misses May Wereta and Alice Wehipeihana. and Mrs Cribb; vocal quartette, Bill McMillan, Martin Winiata, Howard Nicholson and Piki te Hina; part song, “Across the Sea,” i Misses May Wereta and Alice Wehi- j peihana, Mrs Cribb, and Martin Wini- j ata; closing chorus, “Home, Sweet Home” (in Maori), company. Mrs R. j Ransfield ably officiated as pianist. j Hearty votes of thanks were moved ] by Rev. Mr Beckett and passed by acclamation to the Maori party for the j generous and interesting entertainment ' they had provided, and to Messrs Knight Bros, for having afforded the ladies of the company the means of transport. OPEN THIS AFTERNOON AND I EVENING. 1 The fair is open this afternoon until five o'clock, and will be re-opened at seven in the evening. On the latter occasion the stage will be occupied by a clever troupe of amateurs, who will produce the Barrie play, “The Twelvepound Look.”