JAMAICA NEAR.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18905, 21 January 1927, Page 10

JAMAICA NEAR.

RENOWN'S VOYAGE. GREAT WELCOME PREPARED. | DUKE AND DUCHESS POPULAR. n- i-isLI—FESfS ASSOCIATION— COFIitIOHT.) 1 ; "" (SrnsiT '»rs" Service.) (Received January 20th, 10.53 p.m.) On board the Renown, Thursday.

"We arc now gazing along the Caribbean, which is providing a welcome sight of land, though it is too far distant for topographical study, and prosontly we shall be passing Haiti. "There is great activity on the Kenown in preparation for her arrival at Jamaica, where great welcome has been arranged, including dressed and i manned warships. Their Royal Highjfeues will have a busy time with tours lunches, dinners, garden parties, ami passage of. '■}■? Panama Canal will also be an occasion for ceremonial calls, functions, and demonstrations ot I American friendship. ",* fortnight's contact v.-it i the Duke and Duchess of *ork jiuir exceeding charm. The DjU is •iu enthusiast at work or play. he b ß? ins the wowing with strenuous exercise participates in conferences, reads studiously, Blways attends lae shin's concerts and cinemas, and envoys Hrhidos of community singing _ in Srich V **& the Duchess v* heartily.-" i

THE RACE MEETING.. |i DECISION DEFERRED, j, UNTIL ROYALTIES ARRIVE. The Royal Entertainment Committee met on Wednesday afternoon. A telegram received from the Department of Internal Affairs stated that in view of the programme already concurred in, a decision regarding a visit to the race meeting would be held over, pending the arrival of the Duke and Duchess, when the committee would be definitely advised regarding tho matter. A letter from Mr A. 0. Day, secretary to the Governor-General, advised that it was the rule for only the Mayor j to speak at the civic receptions to the ; Duke and Duchess. j It was reported that local bodies in North Canterbury had voted £lMo for the' entertainment of the Royal party, j

ROTORUA'S HAEREMAI. Typical maori welcome. PREPARATIONS WELL FORWARD.

When the Duke and Duchess ot I'ork arrive by special train in Eotorua on Saturday, February 26th, they will be accorded a genuine Maori welcome as spectacular as that historic reception* which signalised the visit to the thermal district of their Majesties the King and Queen in 1001, says the Kotorua correspondent of the Auckland "Star." Although an exact itinerary of details is not yet available, preparations are in active train for the event, and. responsible officials, both pakeha and Maori, are co-operating to make the occasion a memorable one. It is anticipated that i» the brief space of the 48 hours allowed in Eotorua by the ! general programme of the tour, that every moment will be crammed with life and interest. Their Highnesses will arrive in Kotorua on February 26th, and, after a Sunday in the thermal township, will depart on the following Monday by motorcars for Wairakei and Taupo. It is expected that there will bo assembled to meet them representative Maoris of high rank from all over the Dominion. Headed by Sir Maui Pomare and Messrs ■ Ngata, liru, and Henarc, the Maori members in Parliament, chieftains of all the tribes have signified their intention of being present. The Ngaitahu, of the South Island, the Ngatiporoii, of the East Cape, Ngapuhis, of the North, and every tribe from Tuhoe-.' land to Te Kejnga are al! sending delegates, and it ir anticipated that over 2500 Maori visitors will reinforce the local Arawas in tho festivities which welcome the<Royal ambassadors of Knpire.

Cleaning Up the Kaiiigas. When the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall were welcomed in. 1901 the Maoris who made that event ao unigue were encamped in military style on the Rotorua racecourse. To welcome the present Royal pair the visiting natives are being treated as the guests of the local Maoris at "the. villages of Ohinemutu and Whakarewarewa. New houses are heiug built and additions made to old ones. Carpenters are busy everywhere building verandahs and leanto's so tliat eve, T available inch will he ready for hospitality, while everywhere the smell of fresh paint vies for supremacy with the sulphur fumes which rise from the adjacent fumaroles and cooking-pots. This is all part and parcel of a general scheme of ""ovation supervised by Mr Tai Mitchell, actiUK on behalf of the local Maoris S the Arawa Trust Board, ihs obLtive is a general clean-up of boh Sages, and to make them uniformly Iharacteristic hundreds of yards- of palisading are being erected along the Sn paths at "Whaka" and Ohine-1 n,«tii Oddly enough, however, the S», wattle and eucalypt from the Government forestry plantations hard by are the timbers being used in these h °ht that even V „5S that 3000 Maoris could not be "In eased into the space normally oc compressett in arrang ements have cupied by iw, several SuS'd cenfto C eachkainga where St Siting warriors and wahmes w.ll B ' ecp ' „=ihlp for the provisioning Those responsible ioi I their of the camp are ahead* a> h advance orders, and > « that tho supply the centres will work ovenim inordinate demands of the inn , who, on » M t J"S,23kS Stores of his beßt with the tremen kumara, koura, ■« W& men u now usual deHcacies of^hei Mwr being energetically gathered

loval address on behalf of the Maori subjects of the King. Bo far as u now , known this will be made by the Premier I (the Et. Hon J. G. Coates) m hia capacity as Native Minister. There will, afterwards be a reception of representative chiefs, and then tho Boyal party will retire until, after dinner, when a Maori concert party will entertain them. Jtchearsals for this are now in progress.- .„ , Suitdav. February 27th, will.be regarded as a rest day by -the Duke and his party.' .Arrangements have, however, been made for a special morning service at the Maori Church at Ohinemutu, afrwbicb the Rev. ¥. A. Bennett will preach, assisted by tfic Ecv. Pine Tainahore. The afternoon is intended to be spent at Whakarewarewa, where the time-honoured diving from the bridgo and the soaping of the geysers will'provide entertainment for their Highnesses; together with dances oi i welcome and farewell.

Rotorua's Great Day. •Monday, February 28th, is set apart aB the great'day. At 0.30 a.m. all the Maori visitors will assemble on the Eotorua racecourse, and, with earthshaking hakas and symbolic pois, will give the mighty raiigatiras a royal welcome. Following these attractive displavs will be the unveiling by the Duke of "the memorial to the war heroes _ot the Arawa tribe. This is now being erected in tho Government Grounds—an artistic column, engraved with the names of the eight progenitors of the tribe, and surmoun'ted with a statue of KingCeorge V. Succeeding this event, attended by speech-making from paheka and Maori representatives, will be an inspection of the school-children of the district, who will be drawn up for review in the. Government Ground*. These events will conclude the official programme, and, so far as it is at present outlined, their Highnesses will then | resume their tour. ,For the pleasure of so comparatively brief, a stay tremendous energy is being expended at the impulse of enthusiasm. Eotorua township will, of course, be gay with decorations and bunting. But the preparations for that are negligible with the industry now being displayed by the Maori portion of the community. Tamatekapua and Wahiao, the meeting houses at Ohinemutu and Whakarewarewa, have both been painted and renovated. Loads of wood continually rumble into the villages; axes, saws, spades, and hammers are everywhere busy; while sporadic outcrops of hakas and poi dancing all attest the greatness of that "coming event which casts its shadow before" Pine weather will ensure a spectacle to be long remembered even in such a world tour as that now being undertaken by the Eoyal passengers on H.M.S. Renown. SYDNEY'S WELCOME. (MTSmiIAJt kVD K.Z. C*BL* iSSOCttIXOr) SYDNEY, Januarv 19. The Sydney City Municipal Council voted the Lord Mayor £SOOO for expenditure in connexion with th? Thike and Duchess of York's visit.