A SUCCESSFUL APPEAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14699, 6 December 1909, Page 4

A SUCCESSFUL APPEAL.

The Dunediii Hospital Saturday Association is to be heartily congratulated on tlio success of the street collection that was held on Saturday in the city and suburbs, as well ns in the rural townships coming within this hospital district. For the result will be materially to enhance the resources of n number of highly esteemed charitable institutions' in this community, assuring them of substantial contributions to the funds that are necessary if they arc fully to discharge the useful service which is undertaken by them. The public quite appreciates, it is evident, the nature of the work accomplished through tho agency of the Hospital Saturday Association, and is satisfied that the community imps a.full return for any liberality it displays on the one day in the year on which the Association seeks a. practical expression of its sympathy. There is virtue in necessity, moreover, and. experience has demonstrated very clearly that no appeal to his generosity has with the average individual anything like the weight of that which confronts him in the shape of a collection box in tho hand of a lady whose courage, backed by a <wod cause, for once perhaps approaches that of the Nemeau lion. To those who hour after hour on Saturday kept to the wearying business of collecting the utmost credit is due. Such a selfimposed task as was accepted by them cannot bo altogether enviable, and as a matter of fact an' amount of hard and disinterested work of which the public has probably little conception is associated with the observance of Hospital Saturday. When the number of appeals for money that are put before the public is taken into consideration, the collection on Saturday, which is expected to realise £1000, is a splendid result. This total falls by a small amount short of last year's record, but this need cause no surprise, but was indeed almost to be expected in view of the admitted fact that the community has during the past 12 months encountered somewhat harder times than has been its experience for many years. On the other hand, the total that was yielded by the collection was sufficiently large to justify, we think, the hops that it may be accepted as indicative of a revival of confidence on the part of the public. The collection through the medium ot five Hospital Saturday appeals of a sum of over £ASOO in this district—an amount which has been substantially increased by Government subsidy—speaks volumes for the energy and organisation of those who havo directed this movement.