A CORONATION MYSTERY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 298, 11 May 1911, Page 7

A CORONATION MYSTERY

1'- " J :"'' '"' ' ' SURPRISE AND • REGRET AT NEW .'.I ZEALAND'S REFUSAL. FREE PASS'AHMs TJECLIXED. Considerable surprise arid disappointment is .felt (says tlje London correspondent of theLyttelton Times) amongst the committee of Lords and Commons here at the refusal of the New Zealand Government to accept the committee's invitation for members of the New Zealand legislature to be guests at the Coronation. On this unique occasion, when representatives from the parliaments of Canada, South Africa,, Australia, and Newfoundland will be the guests of the committee, it is felt that the refusal of New Zealand to be present is a matter of extreme regret, .mare especially having regard to the fact that the Dominion has always in the past been foremost in promoting matters' of closer union of the Empire. The Lords and Commdns Committee, however, has done everything possible to secure the attendance, of!.' the New ZcaI land representatives. Notice that the inI vitation was probably coining was sent I to the New ZealandrGovernment. I understand, last year,.and early this year I a more definite assutanqe'was conveyed. In February the lofficinl invitation was | issued by cable, but a reply was received that the shortness of: notice nrcveuted the 'Ministers from availing themselves of the invitation. ;As. *■ (paragraph had appeared in the Times newspaper here to the effect that' the proximity of a .wiieral election', and'tile fact that the New Zealand Government did not proj pose to pay the faresnwere' the main fac- ■ tors influencing the'refusal of the invitaI t'ion, the Lords and Commons Committee telegraphed its dfoj> disappointment at j 'the exclusion of I'Ne'wifticaland, and sug- | gested that the eight invited representtives should be.'cliosen from the Legislative Council, no doubt in the belief that, the general election would not affect the members of the Council in the same way iis members of the House' of Assembly. In order to get rid of : afiv possible further difficulty the'conrmiCtee also offered to repay cost of return passages to England.

The New Zealand Government again refused this offer, on the ground of shortness of time to consider the proposal, and mentioned that there was no possibility of securing passages to reach London for the coronation. The committee, however, was apparently determined to leave no stone unturned in order to secure the pleasure of entertaining brolher Parliamentarians from New Zealand, for, cabling to Australia, it managed to send another telegraphic invitation to New Zealand that same day, naming the boat upon which the New Zealand representatives could travel at the cost of the committee. On the refusal of the last offer by the New Zealand Government, it is not surprising that the committee is keenly disappointed. Having regard to the facts it is dillicnlt to think that the suggested shortness of time is an adequate reason for the refusal.