THE CORONATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 44, 14 August 1911, Page 3

THE CORONATION.

i HOW NEW ZKALANDERS FARED. I London, June 30. / New Zealanders, and, indeed, all over- | sea. visitors, who were in a position to observe, are full of praise for the, arI rangements which were made for their reception and entertainment in connection with the Coronation. New Zealand has every reason to be satisfied. Through the Colonial Office the Earl Marshal allotted 30 tickets for the Abbey for distribution amongst New Zealanders.

With respect to the New Zealand stand opinion is less unanimous. The chief complaint was as to the position of the stand. There was a genera! expectation —unfounded, so f;>r as I can ascertain —that the Dominion visitors would be accommodated in Parliament Square somewhere facing the entrance to the Abbey, and the announcement at a late hour that their position was to be on the .Mall, not far from Buckingham Palace, caused keen disappointment, especially as the procession passed that point only on its way to the Abbey and not in returning. The position was, however, much better than could have been obtained anywhere else in London at the low cost of 10s. Within the Abbey the oversea delegates were given positions to which no exception could he taken, while the other holders of tickets fared quite as well as persons holding very high positions in this country.

Lord Plunket, who carried the New Zealand Standard in the Abbey, says:— "The recognition given to New Zealand by the Earl Marshal and other public authorities could not but have satisfied the most enthusiastic believer in the importance of 'God's Own Country.'" Lord Plunket states that the position given to the direct representatives of the dominions . was the finest in the Abbey (after Royalty), and Sir Joseph and Lady Ward appeared to have the best of all. As the bearer of the New Zealand banner Lord Plunket gained a place in the second row amongst dukes and marquesses, instead of being far under the gallery amongst the barons. His son, the Hon. Terence, as page, was possibly the best-placed commoner in the Abbey, sitting on the steps of the gangway of the peers' stand just behind the Prince of Wales. New Zealanders were interested also in the pretty daughter of Lord Ranfurly, Lady Eileen Knox, who was one of tinsix train-bearers of the Queen at the Coronation. Lord Ranfurly was in his place in the Abbey amongst the earls, but Lady Ranfurly was at the hist moment prevented by the state of her health from attending. Mr. A. W. Rutherford, ex-M.P. for llurunui, who was one of the fortunate in the Abbey, says he soon perceived ' that one side of the aisle had been allotted to the Home-bred and the other to the colonials. "By comparison," he Bays, "we made a sorry display—a few military uniforms, a cramped variety, of plain court suits, a few modest 'orders,' and a few obviously colonial visitors asserting the spirit of democracy by wearing ordinary everyday clothes, unpress- j eii, ami with more tlian the suggestion of the 'reach-me-down.' The other side was a blaze of color, the component parts of which 1 won't attempt to analyse." The New Zealand contingent were singled out for special admiration during the progress on Friday. They preceded the second carriage in the overseas procession, that is, the one containing Sir Jos. Ward and Lady Ward, and General and Mrs. Botha, and they were generally admired for their smart and attractive uniform. The officers in the procession were: Colonel Abbott. D.5.0., Colonel Chaytor, Major Moorhouse, Major (labites. Captain Seddon, and Captain Faulkner.