CRUISE POSTPONED

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 180, 2 August 1938, Page 10

CRUISE POSTPONED

UNTIL NEXT YEAR.

EPIDEMIC IN PACIFIC. lORD GALWAVS VISIT. An official announcement from Government House, Wellington, states that his Excellency the Governor-General, Lord Galway, has decided to postpone his visit to the Pacific Islands until next year. This statement was made this afternoon in Wellington, and was communicated to the "Star" by telephone.

The text of the message is:—"Owing to an epidemic of rubella (German measles) and bronchial catarrh in several of the Pacific Islands, it is officially announced that his Excellency the Governor-General has decided to postpone his Pacific Islands visit until next vear."

The visit was to have been made in H.M.S. Leander, which was to have left Auckland on July 6; but, within 24 hours of the scheduled sailing time, the trip was suddenly postponed. The reason was the prevalence of measles both in the Dominion and in the Islands. It was a last-minute decision.

Preparations on board had been advanced almost to the stage of completion. The men were still engaged in putting finishing touches to painting when the news arrived. It was as much of a surprise to the ship's company as to the rest of Xew Zealand. His Excellency was to have left Wellington for Auckland to join the ship on the night of the very day the announcement was made.

At that time it was stated unofficially that the trip was expected to be made early this month if the epidemic had abated in the Islands; but measles seem to have grown worse both in the Pacific and in the Dominion. There has. even been an outbreak in Rarotonga, where the last epidemic wae last century. The position in New Zealand is too well known to need recapitulation.

It is customary for a Governor-General of New Zealand to make a tour of inspection of those islands under the jurisdiction of New Zealand. The last tour was made in 1933 by Viscount Bledisloe. This tour wae to have been more comprehensive than that, since several islands not vieited then on grounds of economy were to have been included this time.

It wae the same thins , that caused the early return of H.M.S. Achillea from the Islands last month. That vessel arrived in Auckland on July 15 instead of August 1 because of the epidemic. This meant a curtailment of the cruise by a fortnight, and three small islands as well ae Suva were not visited.