ROSE DAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20924, 14 July 1931, Page 3

ROSE DAY.

THE QUEEN'S BOUQUET. £IOOO FROM CHRISTIE'S. [FROM OlTJtt OWN CORRESPONDENT.] 'LONDON,"June 12. The days seem to have passed when "visions" in while sold roses on Alexandra Day. The Royul founder specially asked thgit white should be worn, but the climate has become so variable and so cloudy in June that anything so light would look unseasonable, even if it did not feel so. Rose-sellers are, however, just as enthusiastic as if they were in white and were wreathed with roses. June 10 was Alexandra Day. The organisers of the celebration increased their efforts to raise funds to meet the growing needs of the hospitals. There were more roses available and more sellers with collecting boxes than in any year since Queen Alexandra originated the idea of Rose Day, 19 years ago. Princess Victoria toured all the depots in Central London, just as Queen Alexandra used to do.

As in previous years, the King and Queen bought their roses at Buckingham Palace from Miss Howlett, daughter of the King's valet, who receives special permission to enter the Palace to sell to Their Majesties and the Royal household. It is hoped that the sum of £60,000 will be realised as a result of the great effort. Toward this £IOOO is being sent from Christie's as a result of the auction there of the bouquet of roses sent from Windsor by the Queen. The blooms were sold separately in 23 lots, and fetched prices ranging from £2 2s to £lls 6s. The latter price was paid by Mr. do Pinna. The total reached £950 10s, and the auctioneer, Mr. Gordon Hannen, announced that this sum would be made up to £IOOO by Messrs. Christie, which will bring the amount sent by this firm to the Alexandra Day Fund since 1921 to £19,000. Lady Wilford was at 415, The Strand, from early in the morning, with a number of New Zealand * helpers. They collected £BS toward the fund.