QUEEN ELECTION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11755, 20 July 1916, Page 2

QUEEN ELECTION.

FINAL MEETING OF COBfTEE. £132,000 BBAL3I*SSD. The final meeting of the Canterbury J queen election, promoted in aid of the Patriotic Fund, was he-Id in the C.J.O. rooms yesterday, Mr W. H. Clark pro- j siding. I The treasurer (Mr F. M. Warren), in submitting the statement of receipts and expenditure to Juno 30, bearing tho j certificate of the Government Auditor, stated that the total gross receipts were £135,310 14s, inclusive of rates guaranteed by various counties and Road Boards. The expenses were £2394 -i& 7d, leaving as a net result £132,915 9s fid. Of this £113,552 9s 5d had been paid to the trustees of tho Canterbury Patriotic Fund, and the trustees had also been handed tho for the payment of rates, proceeds of which would bo paid direct to them in due course. .Ia addition, the sum of £2oou ! was raised in the Aruuri district for the : Ha timer hospital, and, in accordance < with the resolution passed by the ex- , ecutive, this sum was credited to the Amuri Queen, and the funds were left in the hands of the Hauiner Hospiwl Committee. The expenses had been kept within moderate bounds, and that was only possible with the aid of a large band of willing workers and the generosity of firms in giving their services free, or at loast without profit. The groups that worked on direct contributions had little or no expense, but some of tho city groups, notably industries, Public Service and soldiers, who had to rely very largely on the nimble sixpence," were faced with the many expenses incidental to exhibitions, bazaars, fetes, and so on. Mr Warren added that special credit was due to tlio Society of Accountants for their admirable system of accounts and regulations- they had framed for the guidance of croup treasurers and committees, which enabled the work to proceed on thoroughly business lines. Ihere were still a few items to be settled,_mainiy in connection with art unions, and these, would be adjusted wth the trustees after obtaining the auditor's approval. The statement of receipts and expenditure was as follows, shillings and ponce being omitted: — Guaran-Gross Net Group. Cash re- teecl ex- baloeipts. xatea. ponses. enco. 1. Indnstriei . 10,519 2. Peninsula . 17,924. 6,780 34 21669 3. Pub. Service 9.103 4. Soldiers . 9.665 - &S8 3,137 а. Profeaoions and ' 'Conunerca . 13,283 б. Hills . 20,602 4,728 ■ ~wh»i.y i .,'.d 15 581 _ _ B.WMj» n dS»b. sem wa 9. North. . 6,647 2,248 - 8,795 Sundry receipts unallocated 1,056 G - e S - w to Totals • £115,946 £19,364 5391 £132,916 •The balance-sheet was adopted. The chairman proposed a vote ot thanks to Mr Warren, and it was carried with acclamation. The chairman, in asking the general secretary (Mr G. L. Donaldson) to accept from the committee a gold watch, said that Mr Donaldson had worked very hard for the funds, and the committee could not disband without offering him some mark of its apprecia^ tlo The presentation was received with applause, which was renewed when Mr Donaldson acknowledged the gift. Mr Clark said that before the committee disbanded he would like to take the opportunity of thanking the committee for its valuable assistance m making tho appeal the success it had i proved to be. When the Mayor had called a public meeting of citizens on September 9, 1915, with the idea of raising £IOO,OOO for patriotio purposes the money then in hand was about £23,000. Committeee were formed, namely, the entertainment arid carnival committees, but the former eoon discovered that this method of raising money was a failure. The carnival committee was formed with the object of organising a Queen Carnival. This committee started tho organisation and allotted the groups, and then called public meetings on different nights of all those interested in their own trade or profession. The committee then discovered that public opinion was against;: .carnivals and favoured a straight-out' election. For this purpose the present executive was elected in December, 1915, the old executive resigning in its favour. At the commencement of the new year all the groups began to work and finally succeeded in raising tho patriotic funds from about £23,000 .to £IBO,OOO, and over £132,000 had come directly through the queen contest. By the efforts of various organisations in Canterbury there had been raised by voluntary contributions over half a million. Mr Clark added that as the workers were so numerous he could not attempt to name them, but he had pleasure in proposing a vote of thanks to all those who had contributed in any way to the success of the scheme. The motion was carried, with applause. Mr W.' H. E. Wanklyn proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman, remarking that it would have been impossible to fiud a more genial or competent man for the position. The motion was seconded by Mr Cyrus "Williams, and carried with applause. and the chairman briefly responded. A vote of thanks to the original committee concluded the meeting.