'Working Audience’ For The P.M.

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32253, 23 March 1970, Page 28

'Working Audience’ For The P.M.

<New Zealand Press Association} WELLINGTON, March 22. The audience granted to the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) by the Queen on Saturday morning was, said an official, the equivalent of that granted by the Queen to the British Prime Minister weekly.

As the recently televised film of the Royal Family showed, Prime Ministers in Britain have traditionally been driven the 1000 yards from Downing Street to the Palace once a week .for an audience with the Monarch. What passes between the! two is not disclosed, but it is! supposed that it is the Prime, Minister’s personal report to! the Monarch on the state of! the nation. The Prime Minister’s visit i to the Queen was officially de-i scribed by a Government! House spokesman today as a ‘‘working audience.” He said that whenever 1 there was a Royal tour, provision was made in the'

itinerary for the Prime Minister of the particular territory to discuss anything he wished to with the Queen. As he left Government House after the audience, Mr Holyoake said: “We talked about the tour; and the Queen I was keen to have my opinions and comments—not only about the tour but about how New Zealand was progressing and how our people were facing up to the problems of the 1970 s ’’ Asked about rumours that the Queen would confer a knighthood on him at the meeting, the Prime Minister replied: “That is Her Majesty’s prerogative—not for' me to comment upon.”