PRINCE OF WALES'S VISIT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 167, 10 April 1920, Page 8

PRINCE OF WALES'S VISIT

DECORATION SCHEME

APPROVED

CHILDREN TO HELP

NEWTOWN'S PART IN THE

PROCEEDINGS

A' further meeing of the Welliugtor : street Decrntion Committee in connection with the visit of the Prince of Wales ivas hold yesterday. Mr. A. A. Corrigan : ''presided. The chairman stated that the " sub-committeo had had a field day with the master builders, and he had much pleasure in reporting that the wholo scheme would be ablo to Ijb carried out. The thousand masts were guaranteed before noon the previous day, and the- builders were, also prepared to undertake; the work of erection of tho masts and pjflons in sections—at what cost would have to I be determined Inter—so they had to congratulate themselves on the fact, that, with the generous assistance of the master builders,'the scheme would now be carried out in its entirety. During the af- '. teruoon tho sub-committee liad waited ontho'Government officials, who had agreed to the scheme outlined by Messrs. Page and Fearn, and had promised to have the decorative designs for the Government Buildings in harmony with the general scheme, so that it would be seen that tho sub-committee had done good work with regard to the carrying out of the w-ork. It had been suggested that the ladies might assist, and that perhaps the school children might be interested in various sections near their schools, and form working bees to string the greenery ■ <in to the ropes that would be suspended between the masts. Messrs. Page and !Pearn had obtained quotations for the shields that were to be attached to tho Jnasts, and- one liriii had made nn excel- . lent offer to build tho pylons, only charging for the time taken. Mr. L. M'Kenzie (secretary)-stated that Mr. H.-E. Nichplls (secretary of the Harbour Board) wished to know, the route tho Prince would take to tho Renown on the second day, after the children'!! function on tho Wednesday ho, was here. Mr. M'Kenzio said he had hcaril that the iPrinco would go to Petono by train. , Mr., James Hislop (Secretary for Internal Affairs) said that if the weather proved "unpropitious the Prince would go bv railway to Petone, if not by launch from H.M.S. Renown. .. Newtown's Share. Mr. John Castle said that Newtown ; had been overlooked in tho scheme, and had been asked only to make a disphy of bunting. "As the Princo was going to Newtown and t'hey were all ratepayers he thought they were entitled to some of the expenditure of that money (the granted by the City Council). [He was sure that tho business peoplo of Newtown would contribute to a fund to do something to honour the Prince-, but if the Mayor objected to soliciting 'subscriptions they' scarcely knew wliero they were.

The chairman said they had no desire to hinder any people wfao wished; to see their streets decked out prevented from doing so, but unfortunately it was a Matter of money, and to go up Newtown would mean another mile and a half of roadway to decorate. At present the fcheme extended from the Hotel Cecil to Government House. If they could extend the scheme so as to include Newtown they would be quite ready to do so, but it was a question of Ways and means. He would suggest that a small Bub-committee be -appointed to'consult with tlie Newtown Committee 'to see if anything could be done.

Mr. H. D. Bennett pointed out that the. policy of the committee had only covered the main .routes the Prince would .take through the'city j.tney had ; definite 6chemc which they had'found impossible to carry out at the.last meeting.owing to a shortage of material and labour. : ' ' •

'-Mr.' Castle said that Newtown 'might Wvis been adopted as obi of tho committee's 'Children- as' was Cuba Street. After all 'theL Prince, was only going once through Cuba Street in the dark, and twice through Newtown in the daylight. The people of .Adelaide Road had shown no enthusiasm, a,nd he proposed that some' scheme of decoration could be commenced at the Wellington South Library and continued up to the park gates. He was 6ure the people of Newtown, would help -the-committee considerably. In making such a satisfactory, arrangement with the builders he thought that the committee had ,already reaped the benefit of New- • town's 'enthusiasm.

: ' Mr." M'Kenzjie moved that the Wellington' South' Progressive Society be a com-mittee-for Newtown and that its president be appointed a member of the Decorations Committee. This was seconded and carried unanimously. \ plater on the meetiing agreed to expenditure -up to <£300 on decorations in Newtown, About Finance.

'Mr.-H.i D. Bennett called for estimates jof the "work proposed to be carried out mnder the .original scheme.

Mr. W. M. Page said that the estimates got out (with Bunny Street added) for the masts and pylons was ,£2llO, and 'TvSth- the Mais, fibrous plaster shields, .end pennants the total cost would bo - about *63470. Since then, however, the master builders had oomo down handsomely with offers of material and labour, which would perhaps Teduco thei • total by £750. The masts were put in 'lit half cost, as they could bo sold afterawards.

. Mr.,Bennett moved that the schemo as a whole tbe adopted'.

Mr. T. that it had not teen made clear to him that the whole of tho money granted. by the council was ifor decorations—it ■ was for the- whole 'of the function. He thought that e.ome- ; thing should be done for the children ■which might cost ,£SOO, but they would ,know more about it to-morrow morning, , as a meeting dealing with the matter .was to be held then.

Mr. Bennett said there would be £5000 altogether, ,£2OOO from the council, ,£SOO from the Harbour Board, and a pound , for pound subsidy from the Govet-nment, bo that even if .£SOO was required by Mr: Morton for illuminations and .£SOO for tho children, there would still bo .£4OOO available, and at present they were only committed to an expenditure of a little over ,£30!)0. After an interpolation about routes, Mr. Bennett's motion adopting the scheme was carried. "Get Busy!" Mr. Fletcher (of the Fletcher Construction Company) said they only bad three weeks to do all the work. The committee now knew tho approximate cost, and they should lose no time in getting busy, and getting the work done. At this stage the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) arrived, and after apologising for not being able to attend tho other meetings thanked the enthusiastic citizens who had taken up the work of doing all they could to see that a fitting reception was accorded the Prince of Wales. As the.v knew, the City Council had voted ,£2OOO, on the understanding that the Harbour Board would vote .£IOOO. The board voted ,£>oo, which might have left the finances short. He personally did not think it was quite tho right thing to call on tho people for donations; he held that the expense of a fitling reception should bo borne by the community through its representative Louie.;. At the same time he ventured the, opinion that much of the embellishment in connection with the decorations could be done with greenery jr.steal of more costly methods of expcL'dituve, seeing, that it was only for two days. He was not a pessimist, nor was h<' a mean man, but considering tho high cost of material and labour he did not think they .should incur big expanse for the short period the Prince would bo amongst them, and ho advised them to pau o More they launched out. But rather than .see the children neglec-ted bo was prepared to ask the council to graut another JIOOO. which would include i'soo for the Education Board to „do something for tho children which would cause them to remember tho function for the rest of their.lives. With thit money it was proposed that every school should be provided with a handsome banner, and each child would be nresc-nted with a suitable printed souveui". Again tho Mayor said he per*

soiially did not like asking for subscriptions, but ho would 'make tho appeal if the committee wanted him to, but ei.id lie had much rather that "the local bodies should foot the bill than drag about all over the city for the money." After promising all the assiatanco that lay i.i his power the Mayor left.

Superintending Committee,

The following were appointed a Superintending Committee: Messrs. AV. M. pa jo, Fcnrn, W. H. Morton, A. J. Paler, eon, K. Luke, P. Watt, and Fletcher Bros, Mr. M. Carr attended on behalf of tlio Commercial Travellers' Association, and stated that they would do their host, witli the section which had been.allotted'' O.i tho suggestion of Mr. Ellin (of the Technical College) the school children are to be asked (through Mr. "WUiani Foster) .to undertake tho work of stringing the'greenery on to the ropes. Mr. L. M'Kenzie said that tho caretakers at Dav'a Bay and Wainui should lm asked to locate all the tycopodmm tlioy could to facilitate its removal to town. Mr. K. Luke said that the nctunl work' of putting up the decorations could not be better done than by tho tramways overhead men, who* had three trollies, and were used to dodging poles and wires through the nature of their work. Tho suggestion was received as a Eourfd one. THE ROYAL ROUTES IN' WELLINGTON. "Which way is he, going?" That is bound to bo the question asked by thousands of people in connection with the routes to .bo followed' by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, to am 1 from Government House, during his stay in Wellington. This was ill arranged at yesterday's meeting of tho Citizens Decorations Committee, held in the Town Hall, in consultation with the UnderSecretary for Internal AtrafTs (Mr. .Tame,* Hislop). when the following orders of progress wero decided unon:—Upon arrival in Wellington at 6.15 p.m. on "onday, May 3, His Royal Highness will proceed to Government House via 'Chorndon and Lambtou Quays, Willis Street, Ma li-ners-Street, Vivian Street, and KentTerrace. ■ • , At 9.30 a.m. the next day i.Tuosdav, May i), the Prince will leave Government House and proceed to the Town Hall, via Kent Terrace, Courtenay Place, Manners Street, and Lower Cuba Street. On his return to tho Governmental residence. the Cuba-Vivian Street route will he talfflii. Mv.' Hislop explained that tho civic reception had been hxed for 9.30 a.m.. in ortlel- .to provide ample time - for other tunc 1 Hons the same day. At 11 J) a.m. the same day lie would leave Govern-, ment House and proceed by way ot Adelaide Road and ltiddiford Street to town Park, where the military review would take place at 11.30 a- 1 "* "- 0 would leave the Park again at 12.45 p.m. for Government House, and leaving there again for Parliamentary Bwlduigfi at 1.30 p.m. he would traverse the Kent Terracc-Courtenay Place-Manners and Willis Streets-Lambton Quay route. lieturning from tho luncheon at Bellamy s the Cuba Street route would again bo May 5, the Prince will leave Government House at 11.20 a.m. to attend the children's review in the grounds -of' Parliamentary Buildings. At noon he will return to Government House by Wie Courtenay. Place route. Leaving again at 2.20 p m. ho will proceed via Courtenay Place and the main city thoroughfares, and so by Bunny Street and Waterloo Quay to H.M.S. Renown (if ■ the . weather prove propitious), leaving the Renown at 2.30- p.ffi. by launch for Petone., (If the weatheris not suitable His Royal Highness will make the journey to Petone by rail.) After the function at Petone. the Prince, will visit the Military Hospital at Trentliam. and, returning to town at 5 p.m. or 5.30 p.m., he will TfUim to Uveminent House bv the city-Courtenajj Place .route. Attending the citizens ball the same evening the Courtenay Place route will be followed both ways. On Thursday, Mav C, the Prince will leave Government House at 8.15 a.m., and taking the Courtenay Place-city route, will ioin the fioyal train at Lauibton Station for the Wairarapa, where lie will visit-Mastorton, and subsequently indulge in deer-stalking on Mr. John Barton's station.

WHICH STATION?

FOE PRINCE OP WALES'S ARRIVAL.

At yesterday's meeting the Mayor (Air. J. P. Luke) made it very clear that ho considered it the height of absurdity to land the Prince of Wales at Thorndon rather than at Lambton Station. He pointed out how much better it would be for tho purposes of the arrival if the space before the station were cleared of tramcars aud suitably decorated, with Lambton Quay, decorated as proposed, and brilliantly , lighted, as tho proper entrance to the city. Could anything be worse than arriving- at the Thorndon station? As to the safety of the operate and the excuse that all other trafhc would have to be held up fox; half an hour, that did not appsal to him in the least. They did not have the Prince of Wales arriving here every day, and it suburban people were lwtld up for an hour it would not matter much on an occasion of this sort. He hoped the commitfcee would do all it could to get tlia Prince to the Lambton station, and if.a deputation, to the Minister of Railways were arranged he would have much pleaI 6ure in heading it. -