POPPY DAY.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 April 1922, Page 6

POPPY DAY.

APPEAL IN NEW PLYMOUTH. GROSS TAKINGS £283. “Buy a poppy and help a digger” was the slogan in New Plymouth yesterday, when an energetic committee of ladies launched their Poppy Day appeal as part of the Dominion-wide scheme for raising funds for unemployed ex-soldiers and for the suffering people in the devastated areas of France. That the appeal was an irresistible one was amply demonstrated by the response made by the public, for, despite most unfavorable weather conditions, the gross takings realised from the sale of the artificial poppies was £283 17s Bd, which represents a sale of approximately 4500 poppies, large and small. These poppies were sold at Is for the smaller ones and 2s for the larger, but many people gave in excess of these prices, in the realisation that they were giving to two worthy causes, and, at the same time, were paying a small but expressive tribute to the memory of those men from the Dominion who fell in the Great War. The idea is that these scarlet emblems, inseparably associated with the battlefields of France, shall be worn on Anzac Day (Tuesday next), when fitting and reverent homage will be paid to those men who were “staunch to the. end against odds uncounted”, and who “fell with their faces to the foe.”

The ladies who had undertaken the work of selling the poppies were abroad early yesterday morning, one energetic seller being at the mail train at 7 o’clock, and her' exertions were well rewarded. The work was continued throughout the day and the early part of the evening, when the shopping crowds were in town. It was unfortunate that the wps»th-'»r was unkind, as this kept, many people indoors who otherwise would undoubtedly have made a ready response to the appeal. Nevertheless, the sellers report that they received a splendid response from those approached, rarely meeting with a refusal. In fact, a walk along the main streets late in the afternoon revealed the fact that the workers and public alike had performed their respective duties of selling and buying in a very gratifying manner, it being unusu il to see a button-hole which was not adorned with the scarlet flower.

A few poppies still remain to be disposed of, and anyone who desires rnay purchase these this morning on application to the Victoria League rooms or to the Soldiers’ Club. It is hoped to dispose of the remainder during the day, and, with this object in view, poppies will be offered for sale at this afternoon’s football matches.

The committee of ladies conducied the appeal appeal in conjunction with the Returned Soldiers’ Association, from whom the idea of Poppy Day emanated a,t the recent conference held at Capetown.

Mrs. C. H. Burgess was at the head of the ladies’ committee, while those engaged in selling the flowers were: Mesdames E. A. Walker, C. H. Weston, Dockrill, Blackley, Stuart Russell, S. Burgess, Nichols, Jenkins, R. Ambury, Standish, Misses Kirkby, N. Morey, Roughton, Rosie Sole, Foote, Harding, Gilbert (Vogeltown), Greig, W. Sole, Shaw, Wlhitcombe, R. Whitton, Winfield, Home, Carthew, Gee, Haybittie and Roy. Some of the larger poppies were purchased by the pupils of the Central and Giris’ High Schools for making into wreaths, whilst it is understood that some of the other New Plymouth schools ordered poppies for this purpose direct from the district headquarters.