THE AMERICAN FLEET.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 167, 14 July 1908, Page 4

THE AMERICAN FLEET.

■ I I. PREPARATIONS IN AUCKLAND. The" Fleet Executive Committee met yesterday afternoon, when a large amount of detail business was arranged. A rifle match is being arranged between a team of 50 men from the fleet, and a similar number from the Auckland troops. This match -will take place at Penrose on the Thursday. The offices of the American Consul-Gen-eral (Mr. W. A. Prickitt) will be decorated and illuminated for fleet week. Tho .: colour scheme will be in red, white and! blue, interspersed with the British, American and! New Zealand flags. A tasteful „-■' scheme of illuminations iB also in hand. ' - It was stated some time ago thaife, the mayors of the Dominion were to be invited to Auckland to assist in the ■" welcome to the American Fleet. The Mayor of Christchurch has not yet re> ceived an invitation, and Concludes that if one is coming it must be from the civic authorities. At all events, he has been informed that the Government does \ not intend even to extend so much as a concession in the way'of a: free trip ovex . the railways to Auckland. ■ ___ ■ ■ -VI ■■.-/ -~,},,«,; ,:.. .. . , m ROTORUA ARRANGEMENTS. ______ '■'■'•;" H Mr. T.E.,Donne (Government Com- • 1 missioner) returned last evening from Rotorua, where he has been making final arrangements, as far as possible, for tha entertainment of the officers arid the Parliamentary party. A strong comi'Jttee has been set up to carry out the Government preparations. Arrangements have now been completed, for the tea to be provided at Hamilton, en route to Rotorua, on the Wednesday evening, and the lunucheon on the return trip on Friday. The Hamilton Borough Counou Having placed at . the disposal of tbe Government Commissioners (Messrs. Donne and Hamer) the use of the large hall opposite the Railway Station, the decorations at present, in use for the Winter Show are to be left until after the fleet's visit. The catering will be in the hands of the local trade. The hall is 360 ft. long by . 60ft. wide, so that it will accommodate several thousands of guests if necessary. A NEW ZEALANDER'S IMPRESSIONS. THE VISIT TO SANTA BAKBAKA. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. '% A Christchurch boy who has just returned from a four years' knocking about § the world as a carpenter on several ocean tramps, says he came in contact.with the Yankee jack-tars in Santa Barbara, which town he visited towards the end .of April last, when the. American fleet was there. One thing that astonished him -was the fact that so many of the seamen were foreigners; the proportion of Germans and Scandinavians in Uncle Sam's fleet he believed would I amount to about two-thirds the total. In addition, there was quite a-' ; large sprinkling of negroes. • The men 1 ashore were pretty lively. Some hired motor-cars, some got other conveyances} and some rode horses. Many of the men appeared to be very young. : .. . . =