MANY QUESTIONS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 May 1939, Page 8

MANY QUESTIONS

ROUTE OF ROYAL LINER ADMIRALTY STATEMENT. ADVICE OF EXPERTS FOLLOWED. By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. (Received This Day, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, May 17. In the House of Commons, replying to- a battery of questions, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Aamiralty, Mr Geoffrey Shakespeare, said the Empress of Australia followed the particular trans-Atlantic route which, upon the advice of all experienced experts, would be the safest. THE KING’S THANKS HONOUR FOR LINER CAPTAIN. QUEBEC, May 17. The King yesterday received Captain A. R. Meikle, master of the Empress of Australia, and conferred on him the Insignia of Commander of the Royai Victorian Order. Captain Meikle bore a heavy responsibility when the vessel was fogbound among heavy ice. Some 350 members of the crew to whom their Majesties had endeared themselves, contributed a penny each to buy albums for the Princesses, in which will be placed photographs taken by the King and Queen during their voyage. His Majesty obtained fine shots of icebergs from both bows of the liner. The King and Queen were delighted with the progress up the St Lawrence yesterday, the Empress of Australia constantly dipping her ensign to salutes from passing ships. Crowds gathered at little villages on the shore and at night the line of bonfires ran right up to Quebec. Thousands lined the heights of Quebec at daybreak to watch the pro-, gress of the liner and her naval'escort on the last stage of the voyage. The vessels lay anchored overnight off the south shore of the Island of Orleans, 12 miles below Quebec.