MR FRASER SEES BABY PRINCE

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25678, 15 December 1948, Page 5

MR FRASER SEES BABY PRINCE

VISIT TO NURSERY AT PALACE IMPRESSION OF KING’S HEALTH LONDON, December 13. The Prime Minister of New Zealand (Mr Fraser) this afternoon spent an hour with the King and Queen at Buckingham Palace and was invited to visit the Royal nursery where he saw the infant Prince and its parents. He was the first New Zealander and the first Dominion Prime Minister to see the baby. The Prime Minister said afterwards that both the Princess and the baby appeared extremely well. He had been informed that the infant now weighed 91b loz —11b 9oz more than its birth weight. “The King was looking much better than when I last saw him six or seven weeks ago,” said Mr Fraser. “He will, however, be under the doctors’ care for a considerable time. Both the King and Queen emphasised that their trip to Australia and New Zealand had only been postponed, and not cancelled, and that they were anxious to make it as soon as the King recovered and arrangements could be made. The King is already looking very much better for his enforced rest” N.Z. Rugs Presented During his visit to the Palace, Mr Fraser presented to Their Majesties and to Princess Margaret the three New Zealand travelling rugs which were to have been given to them before the Royal tour as the gift of the New Zealand Government. When the tour was postponed the rugs were sent to London so that Mr Fraser could present them personally. The rugs, which are described as magnificent examples of New Zealand’ workmanship, are woven in the Royal Stuart tartan pattern with the New Zealand arms on the back in one corner. They were much admired by Their Majesties and the Princess. Mr Fraser will be occupied during the remainder of the week with conferences on defence with the Minister of Defence '(Mr A. V. Alexander? and the heads of the fighting services. He will also confer with the Colonial Secretary (Mr A. Creech Jones) about United Nations trusteeship problems and with the President of the Board of Trade (Mr J. H. Wilson) about New Zealand supply requirements. Visit to Ireland After his official business in London Mr Fraser will spend two or three days in Dublin as the guest of the President of the Irish Republic (Mr Sean O’Kelly) and his Government. He will also visit Northern Ireland. The Prime Minister has now no opportunity of reaching New Zealand before Christmas, which he will spend with friends in Cheshire. After the Christmas holiday he will visit Scotland and will leave for Canada by air on January 3. Mr Fraser expects to spend two or three days in Ottawa and also in New York and Washington before he leaves by air for New Zealand. He expects to arrive back in the Dominion about the middle of January.