WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 10 January 1927, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

THE TAILORS OK WELLINGTON EXPLOITING LOYALTY. (Special to " Guardian.”) WKI.LINGTN DEC. 7. The tailors ol W ellington, aided and abetted it would seem by tlie newspapers ol the city, are bent upon turning the impending visit of the Duke and Duchess of A ork 10 coinin' ercial .account. "It may he .remembered”, the "Dominion” says this morning, "that some tjhreo months ago it was suggested at a meeting of the Wellington, industrial Association that an oiler might he made to clothe the Duke of York, during his coming visit to New Zealand, with liabitiments of wholly New Zealand production and manufacture. The idea caused a good deal of amusing criticism at the time. As a matter of iact the association lias taken up the matter quite seriously and having ascertained that everything ordinary worn by a man may he maiuifacctured in New Zealand (if not produced as weli), the Minister of Internal Affairs is to he approached with the proposal that the Duke should accept such an outliL on his arrival in New Zealand, and at one time or another, not necessarily proclaimed, should wear such clothes during his tour, it is proposed that should His Royal Highness favour the idea, that no manufacturer concerned would use the occasion as an advertisement during the Duke’s visit to New Zealand, as the only object behind the offer is tp let the Royal party and tilt* rest of the world know five versatility pf our manufacturing capacity.” As it in justification of this astounding proposal the "Dominion’ quotes from the Halifax "Courier and Guardian” an account of what happened oil the occasion of a visit the Duke paid to the warehouse of one of one of the great woollen mills at Home.

“A PRECEDENT” “The crowning point”, the Halifax paper records,” was in the warehouse, where there was an amusing array of patterns. it was explained to the Prince that the 11 i*m produces 50,000 new patterns in a season, and no two i<like. -Mr J.Steaiuleven asked his Royal Highness if he would do them the honour of accepting two or three suit lengths as a memento, of the occasion. Long rows ol patterns thousands in number, were before Ilis Royal Highness, who at first seemed perplexed at the prospect of making a selection from so many, and he remarked that it was a difficult tiling to do. He glanced over the long stretch of table, and then, smiling, set to business and turned over pattern after pattern. He did not select at random, and had evident difficulty in making a final choice. He asked questions concerning several of them and eventually decided upon two Glen checks and a brown bird’s eye pattern, suit lengths of which will he forwarded in due course. On being informed that in the manufacture of doth at Ladyship Mills only colonial wool is used. His Highness expressed appreciation.”

THE LAST WORD. By way of giving additional weight to this “precedent” for mixing the country’s loyalty with its advertising ■veal, the “Dominion” tells, a little unhappily, of the enterprise of the Manchester manufacturers in this direction. “According to information which reached Wellington by tbe last mail”, it says, “during tbe recent civic week celebration at Manchester, there were on view the cloths worn by H.R.H. the Duchess of York, which she accepted as a gift from the manufacturers of Manchester, to he worn on her coming Empire tour. The fabrics referred to were specially designtv illustrate the development of the textile industry of Manchester, and no doubt wilf he viewed with iulerest by millions ol people, possibly to the ultimate benefit of Manchester textile weavers”. How the promoters of the Wellington raid on the Duke’s courtesy and good nature can have acceptance of a present from the Halifax Wolk-n Company an excuse for regarding the Crown as a

kind of glorified sandwich man must remain incomprehensible to everyone with nnv sense of propriety ; but it is to he hoped that their proposal will never get as far as the ears of the distinguished visitors. There is no reason in the world why befitting presents should not be offered to the Duke and Duchess during their visit to the Dominion. The whole population of the Dominion, Maori and European alike would resent any restriction in that direction. But to suggest any service in return would be the very last word m indecorum and vulgarity. BUSES AND MOXOPLIES.

The troubles of the authorities in connection with the Wellington suburban Inis services are not yet over. A largely attended meeting held at Petone last evening protested strongly against the action of the Transport Appeal Board jn cancelling, on the. petition of the existing bus proprietors, a license issued by the Wellington City Council to one, Ingman, a man of substance and repute, to run buses on the Hutt road. From the statements made at the meeting it Council knew a great deal more about t:lp> merit); Pf the ease than did the Appeal Board, and that the decision of the latter body may have been rather iu the interests of the Railway Department than in the interests of the public. After a full discussion the meeting adopted the following resolution:—“That this meeting views with alarm the state of.affairs which permits private owners protection and monopolies, and that we pray Parliament tu take steps immediately to have tliis law amended ; that in view of the increased, population and a further extension of the present sendees there is room for more buses to serve the valley.” There is a growing feeling here that the buses will return to the city and suburbs before long, untranielled by nai Appeal Board, and that the public will he better served hv their restoration.