PRINCE AT WELLINGTON

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3482, 10 May 1920, Page 5

PRINCE AT WELLINGTON

I A PAG-EANT FAILURE. V WELLINGTON, May _7. This was the Prince ’s busy day. He attended two functions in the morning, ’and got to lunch late owing to the rvast enthusiasm of the crowds causing his progress through the streets to ;be less than a walking pace. He then witnessed a portion of the football match, and hurried six miles by steamer to Petone, where an elaborate pageant depicted the landing of the early settlers was staged near the beach. Boat loads of Wakefield’s emigrants were supposed to land, sing a. hymn of praise for their safe voyage, and to overcome the initial hostility of the natives. The preparations were excellent, but a charge ranging from ten shillings per head to view the spectacle made the generality of the crowd prefer to View what they could from the -beach. The Princc’s landing, through a flotilla of boats, including a. llaori war canoe filled with halfnaked warriors, was a -great and moving spectacle, but the subsequent pagcant tell :1 little flat, as the huge crowd outside the high-priced "enclosure made merry over the boatloads of quainfly dressed characters <le'p‘ictiug”theWEnglish fashions of 1840. The spectators uppczu-o(l to discover early imitations of Harry Lauder, Charlie Chaplin, and. other modern favouri°ces. The ‘enclosure was rushed, and many characters in the pageant failed to get out of the throng of jostling; humanity; where their poke bonnets. cashln_ere shawls,” and other ol«l—time models seemed mrmsingly out of place. This wellmount ofi'ort to revive memories of the early settlers" adevntures was practically a failure through the excess of public interest in the were ‘modern: figure of the prince. There was also a certain amount of critieisni over the attempt to commercialise this historic? Royal visit on the basis of from threel to ten shillings per head. The Princej‘ had to leave before the pageant was} properly unt'olderl. as he was due at the I ’l‘rentham Inilif.'lr)~' liospiifal later infi the ;It'ternoon. I

THE PRINCE IN NELSON. NELSON,. This Day. Crowds of people arrived in town from the country districts to take part in Nelson’s welcome to the Prince, and the streets were gay with bunting and decorations, principal attention being paid to Trafalgar Street and an avenue created by the erection of two rows of obelisks. All were gaily decorated. The civic welcome takes place on the church step's. The Prince later will be entertained at afternoon tea, inspect returned soldiers and will meet in the school of music those settlers who arrived in 1842. This will be followed by a levee, then a ball in the evening. School children lined the strets, but the Prince has requested that he specialy meet all together on Tuesday morning prior to his departure for the West Ooasf. There will be a special display of fireworks, with hands, and a torchlight procession in the evening.