NAPIER CARNIVAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 148, 17 March 1908, Page 8

NAPIER CARNIVAL.

, — L —o —— -, ■ • - * THE!:OPENING; CEREMONY. ' ' ' AN' EXTRAORDINARY SPEECH! v - ' '(DY "TELEGIIArH—SPECIAL (' COREESPONIiENT;).' V"' 1 " .Napier, March 16. .. In the whole of its' fifty - years' career Napier ;can: hardly bo said .to have flaunted suc'ii ;outward signs?of;festivity .as have 'demonstrated -tho all-important fact' that: the ■town ;,was'':'on.;tho- verge 'of celebrating' its first '.carnival\to-day.•': The fact that fire. has. swept across tho broad provincial acres, jnd that the ' stalwart backbone', of the couuury ihad.had{to watch prices drop, in-the face' of, aVso'aldlng 'drbughtj; Was' forgotten.--'' The actual 1 realisation' 'ofthe ? - carnival brought with it,a'sense of the full meaning ,of,'the fostival ■ that had - never dawned' ■on tho .public mind before. : -Evonts of interest were occurring i in; halfra-dozen different' places., at tho same time, and-the city; resembled a hugo 'playground with attractions, spread out in all available'quarters; : Whero to go and what to' seo':-;was-. the,,,problem of the enter-' taining hour,, arid, , while timo was being taken t'o decide, • bands, played, .'flags fluttered, arid .the . übiquitoris 'organ-grinder broke iri on the stir : and bustlo with strains of . mutilated harmony.','*' •*» r.fif'-j-u ... ' ■ Yesterday- it", was ..different; . . Ominous grey clouds.'drifted across the' sky; a'nd the f people felt'iri a sober cliurch-gding,'mood. : In febe morning , the'; Napier-Cathedral- was 'filled ;'to overflowing;, and .the church parade, -together; with , the j ceremony,-of handing 1 ,over; the old colours: of the Third \Wellington /Battalion, was reverentially, carried out. - Iri tho afternoon £ho peoplo flocked to the Botanical Gardfensj'whero ,tho Bat'talion'arid City Bands discoursed' a programirie' of. sacred ,'music' for the benefit; of;:an. audience that .spread itself over, overy available; spot of (the green, sward ..-This morning the■«conditions were, .still, threatening, .but tho'carnival spirit, was riot; •to-be.'damped?by the most: ominous meteoro-. logical douche. y ßy -the. .time! of : the opening ceremony, htnrerer, • the long sea front was.' bathed-in sunshine, aind the Napier residents' .were : able:.to boast,;irithout a' bhwh that;they lire m a plsps wfe«re the ;sun shines on the •'average'.seven, hour's : siine miriutes' every day of tho year. . • •' \ , '/. ; Spbeohes at ,tho.. opening ceremony were doliverwl'by the' Mayor (Mr; J.-Vigor Brown),' tho Hon. J. A. Millar ; -Mr. A; L. D. Frasei-j M.P., Mohio to .Atahikoia, and Kurupo. Tareha. v' 1' ■ ' ''■• ,• ' - , The pleasant-nature of the proceedings was-somewhat.inarred-by an. estraordina,ry speech by Mr. ;Fras'er.,.'The Mayor, in his remarks, quoted statistics to show the progress of .the, town'and-provirico, and twitted tho Minister for. Labpur,on tho fact of tho Government hayirig , tp , sbnie''eife'uV the district.' Mri,-. Fraser, : in- his speech, that { the public "were' not' thero'-to listen to, idlo 'pla-' tit'udes from .Ministers of'tho Crown, memboVs bf'.Parli'ament, or Mayors.. Ho thought, tha't 'tho string' of figures quoted by tho Mayor should: haveNformed a feature of ' the ;Maorit',sjx)rts. :Mr.;,Fraser- spoke .with- con-' 'siderable.ji'armthj'.and.-his' remarks haye dis-i tinct fact { that... Mr. Brown .is..f£c'o)y mehtion.ed as a candidate at next general "election.' r V" : '

■ At the: conclusion of ' the opening ceremony, the Maoris were" marshalled and, headed by to the recreation grturid, wero:Mf w ; as irir'readiness for-th<? native dfemonstratioiij which; was, successfully carried on during '

To-night the musical ,arid elocutionary com- : petitions: were inaugurated, and the theatres and;other places : of amusement,were in fullswing. ' -','v.

1 In the . bowling tournament, the .Wellington' team: .Smith,..Millar,. Gooder, ■Portepus , (21)jMwero|.'defeated in 'the- first round,.b.v.,St;.,Johii's (Wanganui): Garidor, Millar, t Paterson, J; Patersbn (22). , In tho. second: round tho' visitors (17) were defeated by Napier: Rice,:Treston, Hey.' Havwardj J. P. Smith (27).

> (81.. TELEGEiPH.-{-PBESS ASSOCIATIOK.j 1 Napier, March 16.' : The 'native' gala' held' on tho Recreation. ;Grou'nd 'to-day' in, connection with tho Carnival was a great success.,' The attendance was,.a- record for "any sports gathering in Napioj-, -and'the-.crowd on tho-ground was only "' exceeded on "the occasion of -the visit of'the'liriperial'troops.' It'is estimated that nearly "800.0 . people wore presont. - The programme, pomprised hakas; poi dances,, .cake walks', tug-of-war, wrestling,. jumping;; and running and bicycle events for natives. - The ehtries 'wero large; and the enthusiasm displayed by ■ the competitors in- every event lent additional ■ excitement to tho gathering. Many visitors described the dancing both of .th'o liakas arid , pois as superior to that, seen at tho Exhibition.

Thb bowling tournament in.conncction with tho Carnival was commenced to-day. The following is the result of to-day's play:— : First, round, Scction'A —Palmorston North (C. Brophy), 40, : bmitj Palmerston North (Pickering), 10;.Dannoyirko, 19, beat.Napior (Smith), 17; St. John's, 22, beat Wellington, 21; Ma-rton, 24; beat. Greenmeadows (Crow- : .1 . : » . I Section B—Bluff Hill, 35, beat Hastings, 10; Palmerston North (Bunting), 2l; beat .(Bull)/ 20; Gisborne beat Greenmeadows (Badley); Mastortok, a bye. ; Tho following is ; the result of - the second round of the bowling tournament:— Section A—Dannevirke, 23, beat Palmerston North I (Pickering), 9; Napier (Smith), 27, beat Wellington. 17; St. John, 23, beat Greenmeadows < (Crawley), 15; Palmerston (Brophy), 31/ beat Marton, 19. ' : . Section . B.—-Bluff Hill, 25, beat Napier '(Bull), 22; Palmerston''North (Bunting), 21, beat Hastings. 15; Greenmeadows (Badley), a bye; Gisborne v. Masterton to play.