ALLIED NATIONS FETE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16032, 25 September 1915, Page 9

ALLIED NATIONS FETE.

ATTRACTIVE DISPLAY.

GIRLS' REALM GUILD EFFORT.

WOUNDED IX BASE HOSPITALS

The Allied Nations Fete organised by the Girls' Realm Guild in aid of sick and wounded New Zealand soldiers in the various base hospitals was opened yesterday afternoon at the Town Hall by the Mayoress, Mrs. J. H. Gunson, and will again be open this afternoon and evening. There was a good attendance at the opening, the numbers increasing as the afternoon waned, and being still greater in the evening. Several returned invalided soldiers accepted the invitation of the guild to be present. Brisk business was done until tine closing hour arrived. In opening the fete Mrs. Gunson commended its worthy object, and referred to the noble sacrifices made by the soldiers at the front.

Colonel J. E. Hume. 0.C.D., also called attention to the object of the fete, and paid a tribute to the members of the guild for the excellence of their work of preparation for it. Mr. C. J. Tunics, speaking on behalf of the St. John Ambulance Association, wished the promoters every success. He conveyed to the guild a message from the chairman of the Patriotic and War Relief Association Executive, Mr. George Elliot, assuring them of his warmest sympathy with their effort. There was urgent need for more funds for the aid of sick and wounded soldiers. Those men would not ask for help however. Mr. Tunks read a letter he had received from His Excellency the Governor, the Earl of Liverpool, calling attention to the fact that many invalided New Zealand soldiers were being admitted to the St. Felix Hospital, Walton on-Thames, England, and asking therefore for increased aid in the way of extra comforts for the men in that hospital. The guild's fete was in aid of the men in the Home hospitals. Musical selections were given on the organ by Mr. Maugban Barnett, city organist, and by the Technical School Band. The best of good taste and not a little ingenuity has been employed in the equipment and arrangement of the stalls at the fete. They have been erected in the main hall, beneath the galleries, and besides being well stocked with articles of many descriptions, they present collectively a most picturesque appearance. A feature in the decorative effect is the prominence given in front of each stall to the coat-of-arms, correct in design and colour, of each country and nation represented. The stall-holders, too, add colour to the general scheme, wearing over their white frocks neat aprons, the borders of which are ribboned in the national colours they are working under. Picturesque Stalls Described.

Great Britain is represented by a lavish display of plain and fancy-work in a stall, the front elevation of which is a design of the Tower of London, with a Beefeater on guard. Here Misses V. Walsh, W. SnelEng, S. Johnston, and T. Morpeth are in charge. France comprises a sweet stall enclosed in golden lattice-work, with a tricolour roof in bunting. Misses D. Friend and R. McCabe are in charge. Belgium; is strikingly represented by a chocolate-coloured windmill, with quaint windows decorated with paintings, and a clever caricature. The structure is the work of Technical College boys, on whom it reflects real credit. The articles on sale are books, stationery, and soldiers' gift boxes. Misses D. Walsh, E. Harvey, and K. Farley are in charge. Russia, in the care of Miss H. Bews, is the tearoom. This has been laid out in the supper-room off the main hall, the decorations being artistically carried out in the Russian national colours. Italy is the nationality of the fancy and art stall in charge of Misses Rhodes and J. Marriner. Decorative art has made this a very attractive stall, to be found beneath the rear gallery. Other Attractive Displays. The New Zealand stall, a capital model of a Maori carved house with raupo roof, is devoted to the sale of home-made cakes, and is in charge of Misses Mackay and Griffiths. Japan will be found represented, appropriately enough, by a flower stall constructed on the model of a Japanese thatched-roof cottage. Miss Ince is in charge. Canada, the land of snow, is the icecream stall of the fete. A dainty white lattice-work structure looks cool and inviting. Miss S. Clayton is in charge. Servia, the produce stall, where Misses Ida Clayton, K. Dive, and D. Clark preside, is housed in a Servian cottage copied from an actual model. The Orient and South Africa. India and Egypt, where Eastern boxes and Oriental goods of many descriptions are purveyed by Misses D. Baker, H. Hipluns, and G. Beale, is remarkably well typified. The stall front is from an Egyptian design, and the whole atmosphere is good. Australia has been selected as the woollen stall, and here, behind the gilded outline of the map of the Commonwealth, Misses M. Wright and E. Neill preside. Montenegro has not been forgotten, and is represented by a gift and parcel stall near the main entrance. South Africa is represented by various side-shows tucked away beneath the rear gallery. Here, in the midst of the Union colours, are various devices, such as rigolletto, a shooting gallery, a village pump, a bran pie. Under the same auspices are a treasure hunt, three fortunetellers, and, in the outside passage, a nook where patriotic Britishers may have shots at the Kaiser for a small charge. Miss Ziman is the directress of these sideshows. The Evening's Programme. The fete was largely patronised in the evening, and those in charge of the stalls and competitions did brisk business. Prior to the reopening in the evening, a proces sion of the stallholders riding in a dozen motor-cars furnished by the Motor Service Corps, and headed by the Technical School Band, paraded Queen Street.. During the afternoon and evening, an attractive series of dances was given by pupils of Miss Cecil Hall, in the main nail. Large audiences gathered in the concert chamber in the evening, where three short programmes of a bright and entertaining character were given under the direction of Miss Fenton.

The awards in connection with several competitions were announced last evening. The cake competitions were judged by Mr. Walter Buchanan, who made the following awards :—Fruit cake, Miss Tressider; sponge cake, Miss D. McGuggan; shortbread, Mrs. Liechtenstein. The floral table decorations were judged by MrsBrewer and Mrs. Campbell, who awarded .the first prize to Miss Sutherland, and the second to Miss Herrold.

Iced Cake Correct weight, 91b l*oz, won by Miss R. H. Grant, Hobson Park Road, Parnell; guessed 91b lljo/. Hand-tinted Picture : Won by Mr. John Murray, No. 3, Town Hall Square. The "fete will be continued to-day, and if any goods remain unsold at the close of the evening, they will be sold by auction.

At the invitation of the Mayoress, Mrs. Murdoch McLean, the women of Mount Albert met yesterday afternoon in King George's Hall, for the purpose of establishing in Mount Albert a ' branch of the Women's Patriotic League. There was a large and representative attendance, and the proceedings were marked by enthusiasm. The Mayoress addressed the meeting, and reviewed the work that had been carried out by the women of Mount Albert during the year. It was decided to form a branch of the league. The Mayoress was elected president ; Mrs. R. M. Beat-tie vice-president ; and Mrs. H. Tiarks hon. secretary and treasurer. A committee was also elected. The president mentioned that she had undertaken the supply of the cushions for the second hospital ship.