VISIT OF WARSHIPS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18016, 7 March 1924, Page 10

VISIT OF WARSHIPS.

NAVY LEAGUE ARRANGEMENTS.

References were made at last night's meeting of the General Committee of tho Canterbury Branch of .the Navy League to the approaching visits of British and Australasian warships to New Zealand waters. „ The Branch wrote to the Prim© Minister last month requesting that, if possible, arrangements should be made for H\"l. ships Hood and Repulse to lie at anchor for a limited time in the outer harbour at Lyttelton. The Hon. Sir R. H&aton Rhodes, Minister of Defence, replying on behalf of the Prime Minister, wrote:—"l have enquired further into the possibility of arrangements being made for either one or both of the battle cruisers of the Special Service Squadrons to vjsit the outer harbour at Port lyttelton, and much regret that further action in the matter is impossible. The original programme made out by the Admiralty included visits of these two ships to Wellington and Auckland only, and his Excellency the GovernorGeneral immediately telegraphed Homo asking that a visit to Lyttelton might be included, I also in I*>ndon made efforts to secure this result, as 1 was convinced that it would have great effect in many ways. However, the Admiralty did not see their way to making any change, and I feel that further action in the matter would be useless."

Regarding the visit of the cruiser squadron, the chairman (Mr J. J. Dougali) said that the Mayor was seen after the last meeting of the committee,'but was not then in possession of any more information than the committee regarding the movements of the ships. As to the Navy League taking in hand the entertainment of the oiuoers and crew of the squadron, the Mayor had expressed the opinion that it was the duty of the citizens. As far as the committee was concerned they were no further forward than they were at the last meeting. « A sub-committee, consisting of Mesdames Norton Francis and Beadel, Misses Creswell and Macbeth, and Messrs J. J. Dougali, J. O. Jameson, W. Walton, and H. Holland, was set up to co-operate with the Citizens' Committee in the matter of arranging for the entertainment of the officers and crews of the warships. The committee endorsed the resolution of the Auckland branch to the effect that; the Government and the coastal shipping companies should afford special facilities for cheap travelling on the occasion of the arrival of the British warships in May. next to those, especially children, living at a distance from the ports touched at by the squadron.