MAORI WELCOME

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 148, 8 June 1935, Page 6

MAORI WELCOME

Lord Galway at Rotorua TRADITIONAL CEREMONY (By Telegraph—Press Association.) ROTORUA, June 7. The Governor-General and Viscountess Galway are at present paying their first visit to the Rotorua district, accompanied by their family. The Vice-Regal party was accorded a civic welcome on arrival on Thursday afternoon, arfd in the evening their Excellencies were the guests at a social function at which they met representative citizens.

This morning they were welcomed on the marae at Ohinemutu by the Arawa tribe, when a splendid demonstration of native pois and hakas was given by over 200 women and warriors. Traditional native ceremony marked the welcome, and their Excellencies were obviously impressed by their first glimpse of Maori ceremonial. Lord Galway inspected a parade of Maori returned soldiers and received a petition praying that the word “massacre” be removed from the signboard erected on the site of the Opepe engagement, near Taupo, in June, 1869, when a party of Bay of Plenty cavalry were Surprised and killed by hostile natives under the Hau Hau leader, Te Kooti. The petition pointed out that the engagement took place between armed forces during a state of war, and could not, therefore, be called a “massacre.” Lord Galway promised to refer the matter to his Ministers. In the evening their Excellencies attended a Maori concert, and during the week-end will visit a number of scenic attractions in the district.

Now is the time to purchase woollen goods to advantage. This was very evident by the public enthusiasm evinced to-day at Westerman’s, Hastings, when their huge mill purchases for the present season were made available to the people of Hawke’s Bay at magnetic price attractions. Special price snips, too, marked the wonderful range of Petone mill samples in men’s and boys’ winter wear; whilst the phenomenal assortment of “Osman” manchester samples created a general furore. Faulty output is increasing enormously tn Soviet industries under the present regime.