REPRESENTATIVES AT CORONATION

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26945, 22 January 1953, Page 6

REPRESENTATIVES AT CORONATION

Two N.Z. Government Nominees MR SULLIVAN AND MR CORBETT (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, January 21. The Prime Minister (Mr Holland) announced tonight that the Government will be represented at the Coronation ceremonies in London next June by the Minister of Labour (Mr W. Sullivan) and the Minister of Lands (Mr E. B. Corbett). The Ministers will be accompanied by their wives, and they will be the guests of the United Kingdom Government. Later in June, Mr Sullivan will attend the annual conference of the International Labour Organisation in Geneva. He will probably return to New Zealand in July. The Press Association learns from a reliable source that there will be further Parliamentary representation at the Coronation, and that the members of the general council of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association have also been invited to attend the ceremonies. Representatives of the New Zealand branch of the association on the general council are the Minister of External Affairs (Mr T. C. Webb) and Mr H. E. Combs, Opposition member of Parliament for Onslow. Mr Webb, it is understood, will be unable to accept the invitation, and a nomination to replace him will be made in the near future. Mr Combs, it is believed, will accept the invitation. ... _ New Zealand’s Commonwealth Farliamentary Association representatives will be the guests of the association during their stay in London. The New Zealand representatives at .the Coronation of King Georve ■ V were led by the then Prime Minister (Mr Savage), who was accompanied by Mr H. T. Armstrong and the present Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nash), who was then Minister oi Finance, and who at the time of the Coronation was attending an Imperial conference in London. The representatives of the New Zealand branch of the Empire (now Commonwealth) Parliamentary Association who also attended the 1957 Coronation were Mr E. J. war 1 ~ 1 ’ member of Parliament for the ote Christchurch South electorate; Mr F, W. Schramm, a former Labour Speaker and member for the old Auckland East electorate; the present Postmaster-General (Mr W. J. Broadfoot). who was then in opposition; and Mr J. A. Hanan, a member of the now defunct Legislative Council.

NAVAL REVIEW AT SPITHEAD PARTICIPATION BY N.Z. CRUISER TRANSPORT FOR SERVICES’ CONTINGENT (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, January 21-, The New Zealand cruiser Black Prince will leave New Zealand towards the middle of March for the United Kingdom. She will carry some members of the New' Zealand Services’ Coronation contingent. The Black Prince will take part m the Coronation naval review at Spithead'On June 4 15. t T The Minister of Defence (Mr T. L. Macdonald) said today that the naval section of the New Zealand Coronation contingent would comprise 18 reservists and former naval personnel, together with 17 members of the ship s company of the Black Prince. The Black Prince, which was commissioned at Auckland on January io, will sail from Auckland, by way of Australia and the Suez Canal, to Portsmouth. She will arrive in the United Kingdom at the beginning of May, and will leave for New Zealand soon after the naval review at SpitWhen the Black Prince joins, the ships of the Royal Navy and other Commonwealth navies off Spithead, she will be the first ship of the Royal New Zealand Navy to take part in a Coronation review.

N.Z. CORONATION CONTINGENT AGE LIMIT OF FORMER SERVICEMEN MINISTER REPLIES TO CRITICISM (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, January 21. Service in the New Zealand Coronation contingent will, in most ways, be the equivalent of five months’ military service under reasonably trying and exacting conditions, with a considerable period of rigorous military U The 0 Minister of Defence (Mr T. L. Macdonald) says this in a letter to the New Zealand Returned Services Association, in reply to criticism of the age limit, 45, which was submitted to him through the R.S.A. . “When the plans were being made for the selection of this contingent, this matter was investigated very carefully,” says Mr Macdonald. “Service in the contingent is, you must realise, in most ways the equivalent of five months’ military service under reasonably trying and exacting conditions. * , . “The Coronation procession itself m* volves an arduous march apd an exacting routine lasting for several hours. This will be preceded by a considerable period of rigorous military traming to ensure that New Zealand is represented by a contingent which will drill with the utmost smartness and efficiency. "Most of the returned servicemen of World War I are now between the ages of 55 and 65, and I am sure you will agree that very few men of that age would be able to stand the strain involved. “I agree with you that there will be some exceptions who would possibly be strong enough, but it was not felt that an exception should be made merely because of these few men.” the Minister says. “This is a case where New Zealand must be represented by younger men who will, I am certain, adequately represent your organisation.”

Applications for Inclusion The prospect of five months’ service under trying conditions has not deterred applicants for inclusion in the former services’ component of the contingent. R.S.A. headquarters has already received from district associations about 100 applications. Several associations have asked for additional application forms and, so far. about 2000 have been distributed. Applications will close with district associations in time for all forms to be in the hands of the general secretary of the New Zealand. R.S.A. by 5 p.m. on January 31. It is expected that the ballots will be held early in the next week-