The Press FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 1962. A Royal Occasion

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29909, 24 August 1962, Page 10

The Press FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 1962. A Royal Occasion

Canterbury’s welcome today to Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand will be none the less spontaneous for being coloured w’ith regret that the weather has disrupted Their Majesties’ travel arrangements. Since their arrival in Wellington on Sunday, New Zealand’s Royal guests could not have formed a favourable opinion of the Dominion’s climate; and it can only be hoped that the enthusiastic reception accorded to them by al] sections of the public has more than compensated for the inhospitable weather. Their Majesties will reach Christchurch after an outstandingly successful tour of the North Island. By his public speeches, his invariable urbanity, and his personal dignity King Bhumibol already has enhanced, in the eyes of New Zealanders, the national status of Thailand. Everywhere, Queen Sirikit has shown herself a gracious ambassador of Asian goodwill.

A tour such as Their Majesties’ puts heavy demands upon hundreds of people including the visitors, whose official duties are always taxing. For this reason there should be widespread sympathy for the government and local body officials, service personnel, police, transport workers, and all the others whose responsibilities during the present tour have been made more onerous and difficult through circumstances beyond anybody’s control. No-one can be pleased that it was found necessary at short notice to

change the travel arrangements of the Royal party yesterday and consequently to delay their arrival in the South Island. It is somewhat ironic that the Christchurch Internationa] Airport was closed to ordinary traffic only between 11.5 and 11.20 o’clock yesterday morning, and that, according to the airport manager (Mi A. I. R. Jamieson), “just before “ the Royal Viscount was “ scheduled to arrive at 5.20 “ p.m., conditions were the “ best of the day ”. Christchurch residents who were disappointed last evening by losing the opportunity to welcome Their Majesties on the drive from the airport must, however, recognise the need for deciding upon alternative travel arrangements early enough to avoid undue inconvenience both to the visitors and to their hosts.

Accordingly, Lyttelton has the unexpected honour of greeting Their Majesties; and in wishing them a pleasant visit the chairman of the Lyttelton Harbour Board (Mr A. A. Macfarlane) and the Mayor of Lyttelton (Mr J. B. Collett) will speak for all residents of Canterbury. It is not inappropriate, indeed, for the port from which most of Canterbury was settled, and which remains a vital economic asset, to receive the first Asian monarch ever to set foot in the South Island. New Zealand’s future may conceivably be influenced as much by relationships with Asia as its past depended upon close associations with Britain and Europe.