CORONATION DAY CEREMONIES

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27038, 13 May 1953, Page 8

CORONATION DAY CEREMONIES

STATE OBSERVANCE AT WELLINGTON

GOVERNOR-GENERAL ONE OF MAIN SPEAKERS (New Zealand Preu Association)

WELLINGTON, May 12. The main addresses at the State ceremony to be held in Wellington on Coronation Day will be given by the Governor-General (Sir Willoughby Norrie), the Acting-Prime Minister (Mr K. J. Holyoake) and the Mayor of Wellington (Mr R. L. Macalister), according to a statement by Mr Holyoake tonight. Archbishop Owen, Primate of New Zealand, will lead prayers and pronounce a benediction. Other churchmen representing several denominations will also lead prayers and read from the Scriptures. The Governor-General and Lady Norrie will leave Government House soon after 10 a.m. and pass through a ceremonial parade of servicemen and former servicemen formed up near Parliament Buildings. Sir Willoughby Norrie will inspect the guard of honour, and at the conclusion of the ceremony will take the salute at a march past. If the day is wet the official ceremony will be held in the Town Hall.

PRESENT BY GIRL GUIDES

CEREMONY IN GROUNDS OF PARLIAMENT (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, May 12. In the grounds of Parliament today about 2000 Girl Guides and Brownies from all over New Zealand faced a cold wind and intermittent showers to gee the Acting-Prime Minister (Mr K. J. Holyoake) receive from them their Coronation present to the Queen for her children. “I could not think of a more appropriate gift,” said Mr Holyoake as he inspected the giant jigsaw puzzle of an illustrated and coloured map 6f New Zealand.

Mr Holyoake recalled that the guides and brownies were meeting in Wellington to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the movement in New Zealand. They deserved the warmest congratulations of the Government, he said, as he wished the large gathering many, many happy returns of this day,” and paid a tribute to those who showed a wonderful public spirit in assisting the organisation. The jigsaw puzzle, continued Mr Holyoake. was a wonderful conception and a beautfiul piece of work. The methods by which it had been transported to Wellington—by fire engines, canoes, and tractors—were ingenious, and he knew that Prince Charles and Princess Anne would be delighted with the gift as they pieced it together and followed the progress of their parents through New Zealand during the Royal tour. A H i® rrtek -,_Chief Commissioner ° f Gir J Guides, thanked toe GovernMJ < V? ce P Ung M on behalf of Her Majesty, and then the jigsaw Pi? 221 * was ceremoniously carried up the steps of Parliament House by a bearer party representative of all branches of the guide movement. •

CORONATION DAY AIR MAIL

SPECIAL SERVICE TO BRITAIN A special Coronation Day air mail is being flown from New Zealand to London on June 2, and Christchurch stamp collectors wishing to use this special service will have to have their mad posted by’ 4.30 pjn. on May 28. e p S st^V or th ? letters will ®® lB 6a, and if the sender wants the mail returned, it will cost him 2s lld-the reduction of a penny being made to allow the use of a full set of Coronation stamps. Letters for the special mail must not ordinary boxes, but must be handed in at the puMTc counsection of the Office. The letters must be marked “Coronation Day Flight.” The address should be written as low as possible on the envelope and the stamps fixed at the . right top corner. . *** fo™ 8 ’ the Postage will b ® United Kingdom and Is 4d if the letter is to be sent back to New Zealand. A distinctive datestamp will be used for all mall carried on the special flight.

DECORATIONS IN CHRISTCHURCH

SCHEME BY RETAILERS’ . ASSOCIATION QUESTION OF COST TO COUNCIL A scheme for the decoration of certain areas in Christchurch during the Coronation, which was submitted to Council’s decorations committee by the Canterbury and Westland Retailers’ Association, would involve the council only in the cost of erecting festoons of coloured lights and 111 large shields that would be suspended in the streets. In a statement ittued after a special meeting held to discuss references to Coronation decorations at the council meeting on Monday evening, the association said it had been assured that the retailers’ sc P£P e wou ld be proceeded with. “The Deputy-Mayor (Cr. G. Manning) and Cr. J. L. Hay were deputised by the Christchurch CityCouncil decorations committee to wait upon the Retailers’ Association and request its assistance in the street decoration scheme to celebrate the Coronation,” said the statement. “While many retailers had their own schemes for decorating premises and windows they felt the suggestion was worthy of support and submitted a scheme for the decoration of certain areas. The scheme recommended and approved by the City Council decorations committee consisted of 111 Jarge shields to be suspended in the streets and festoons of coloured lights. The areas were: (1) Armagh street between Colombo and Manchester streets; (2) Colombo street from Armagh street to the Beresford corner; (3) Colombo street from the Bank of New Zealand corner to Lichfield street; (4) High street from the Bank of New Zealand corner to Lichfield street; (5) Cashel street from the Bridge of Remembrance to High street. “The Retailers’ Association undertook to collect from individual shopkeepers in these areas sufficient money to pay for the shields in this scheme, the cost of which totalled £550. The decorations committee of the City Council undertook to erect the shields and festoons of coloured lights, and only cost that the City Council had in this scheme, which is not connected with any other civic decoration would be in the erection of the lights and shields. i T * he Retailers’ Association has spent a lot of time calling on shopkeepers who have willingly contributed to this scheme. On making inquiries this morning we have been assured that the retailers street decoration scheme will be proceeded with."