PEACE CELEBRATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 105, 3 May 1919, Page 13

PEACE CELEBRATIONS.

AUCKLAND ARRANGEMENTS. AIICII ACROSS yLEEN STREET. j A meeting of the Peace Celebration | Committee was held at the Town Hall I yesterday afternoon, the .Mayor (.Air. d. >f H. Gunson) presiding. c, Mr. Guiioon said that in view of the ■a announcement by the .Minister that the a celebrations would be held on the Suni- day, Monday and Tuesday following the r signing of the Peace Treaty, he bad telei- graphed, in reply, pointing out it would r- be impossible to carry out the celebraic lions in a proper manner without at least a ten days' iie.ti.o. Peace might, for inn slance. he signed ~v Friday, and obvit ciiislv this would not give nearly enough |] time for tin- necessary preparations. ,fi Mr. C. lludsein said*lie, too, had sent ~ a telegram on the lines of that sent by P Mr. Gunson. v; The .Mayor's action was endorsed. 1 In response to a suggestion from Bishop ■ 1 Aye-rill, it was decided that the first day ~ services be called the- Citizens' Thanks- . giving Services for Peace. A number of replies were received ~ From surrounding local bodies, agreeing „ to take part in the celebrations. With regard to the illumination of ~ public- buildings, a number of leading ( , firms wrote agreeing to illuminate their , biiileliiigs as suggested by the committee. . Several firms, however, were opposed to this idea. The New Zealand Shipping Company wrote: " Considering the shortage of coal now existing, we think it unwise- to cause any increased expenditure by illuminating the- company's ; buildings." Messrs. Smceton. Ltd., said , they ,|csire-d to record their emphatic ( protest against th,. proposed waste „f , ("al for a display whie-1, they regarded as altogether unnecessary when there I was an urgent demand on every hand for ; fuel to keep cor primary industries , going. They decline,l to be a party to any scheme likely to precipitate an industrial crisis, and'hoped that this view would receive tin- serious consideration !of tlie Committee. '| Mr. 11. I). Heather staled that the i Harbour Roard proposed to illuminate * the harbour from Hobson Street to Messrs. Rradnr-y and Minns' offices on the Queen's wharf, including the Kerry ' Buildings and the wharf gates. The i|iirstion of arranging bonfires on the various high points in and about Auckland was discussed, and it was fin- ' ally decided, in view of the central posi- ■ tion of Mount Eden, to arrange feu- a • bonfire on this peak. I The Yacht and Motor Boat Association wrote, askincr for a donation of t'l.'iO for prizes for their aquatic programme. After some discussion it was decided tv advise the Association that the committee did not desire the display : to take the form of the ordinary regatta as this would not prove sufficiently spec--tacnlar for the public, the idea being to make a spectacular display in the harbour. Tt was decided also to make a donation of £50 for throe or more prizes j for the- best display on the harbour. j It was decided to erect an eliptical i arch over Queen Street in the vicinity of ! the General Post Office. This will ,'-oini prise one large span, and will be specially illuminated at night.