HAMILTON EN FETE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 123, 27 May 1930, Page 11

HAMILTON EN FETE.

. » — VISIT OF VICE-REGAL GUESTS. CALLS, CEREMONIES AND BANQUETS. BUSINESS IN WELLINGTON. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) HAMILTON, this day. Hamilton, one of the garden cities of New Zealand, is en fete. In addition to the impressive annual winter exhibition, it is the occasion of the first visit of his Excellency the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, and Lady Bledisloe.

'At night the main street sparkles brilliantly with hundreds 'of coloured lights, and the traffic bridge over the Waikato River is gaily festooned. The city is thronged with visitors, and last night accommodation was difficult to obtain. Some of the visitors had to walk the streets.

Strenuous Time. Since their Excellencies arrived by the Rotorua express yesterday, they have had little respite from attending official functions. During a break yesterday afternoon, however, Lord and Lady Bledisloe paid a visit to the New Zealand Co-operative Company's butter factory, and box factory at Frankton Junction. There they saw the whole process of buttermaking from the time the milk and cream is received at the door till the butter is packed in boxes and stored m the cooling chambers. His Excellency was intensely interested, and remarked that he had never seen anything . like it before. He said he could not have believed that churns would be so large. The Danish churns were much smaller. A souvenir of the Vice-Regal visit was .riven their Excellencies in the form ot a beautifully-bound illustrated booklet showing the company's factories, and giving an historical sketch of the company's operation since its inception.

Diocesan School Opened. At 4 p.m., accompanied by the member for Hamilton, Mr. J/A. Young, and the Mayor, Mr. J. R. Few Lord and Lady Bledisloe, attended by Lieut Elsvvorthv, R.N, A.D.C., officially opened the Diocesan school for girls at Llaucielands. There was a large gathering, consisting mainly of ladies. In extending a welcome to their Excellencies, Archdeacon Bell, \ icar General, apologised for the absence ot Bishop Cherrington, who is on his way to the Lambeth Conference in London. The Archdeacon said that the Bishops energies were mostly responsible for the erection of the school. The institution had been a venture of faith, and it had alreadv achieved a wonderful success. The trustees and board of governors should indeed be congratulated on the site and choice of architecture. Although the school was only three months old it was well established m the hearts of the parents and children. Presenting his Excellency with a key to open the building, Mr. D. Hay, chairman of the Board of Governors, said the school was a link of Empire. His Excellency, on Character.

In his opening remarks, Lord Bledisloe referred in feeling terms to the death of the late Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Davidson, who, he said, wa3 a personal friend of his.

ft Taking .i or the subject of his remarks " Character," his Excellency said it was character and not force of arras which had built up the British Empire, and character would build up a school's selfdiscipline, which would govern all the rest. The first essential to character was the capacity to say "no." So by extensive self-discipline and self-restraint would character be built up. The future of New Zealand, as indeed that of the Empire, depended upon character, and so too did the future of New Zealand depend on its young people. Last night their Excellencies were tendered a civic diriner at the Hamilton Hotel. It was of a semi-private nature, only a few special guests being asked. Visit to Institutions To-day. This morning Loi;d and Lady Bledisloe attended a combined schools function in the high school grounds, and later visited the Waikato Hospital, where, in addition to talking to the patients, they met members of the Hamilton Sunshine League, which has done so much good in giving patients pleasure. Lord Bledisloe highly praised their efforts, and in this tribute her Excellency joined. The twenty-fourth Waikato Winter Show was officially opened this afternoon, after which their Excellencies spent a considerable time going round the exhibits. '■

Another dinner will be given the viceBegal guests this evening, this time by the Winter Show Association. His Excellency will also attend a smoke concert arranged by the dairying interests, and Lady Bledisloe will attend a reception arranged by the combined ladies' societies of Hamilton. His Excellency will leave for Wellington by the express this evening to attend the swearing in of the Hon. G. W. Forbes' new Cabinet, his visit to Hamilton being cut short in consequence. Lady Bledisloe will remain in Hamilton till to-morrow morning, when she will return to Auckland by car.