CHILDREN'S VISIT TO FLEET

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 86, 10 April 1924, Page 6

CHILDREN'S VISIT TO FLEET

PLANS FOR THEIR RECEPTION

FREE MEALS TO COST £1250.

M-ost children have admiration for a man-o'-war and the "Jolly Jack Tars." ,A warship in ,port with her deadly weapons protruding a-port and starboard, and a full complement of hardy, genial sailors, brings into the young minds old-time sea battles of the days of Nclsoiij the exciting stories of which the school-books teach so Well. But with a fleet of powerful British warsliips in port—the excitement and inter-, est of. the young, people should know' no bounds. • Then there is to the children the educational value of the Fleet's visit—a keener appreciation of Nelson's famous message : "'England Expects That Kvery Man Will Do His Duty." It is in this light that the Government authorities responsible for the arrangements for tho receptiop of the Floet have considered the boys and girls of the schools, and very elaborate are the plans being made for their welfare. There are some children in the back areas of the Dominion who have seen a British warship only from photograph. These children are being granted special facilities by the Government to see the real ships—to run along their decks, straddle their legs over great cannon, and to see the general mechanism of the sliips. - FREE MEALS FOR CHILDREN. Apart from the decision to run special excursion trains to meet the insistent wishes of the. children of country schools, the Government has decided to provide free,.midday meals for the children conveyed from the country into tho portsof Wellington, Auckland, Lyttelton, Duiiedin, and the Bluff. This information will be gratifying not only to the children but to those who 'are assisting the authorities in the management of the' excursions. Special arrangements are being made for catering for the children, and already definite plans are set. Given fine weather' for the excursions, "there sliquld be no hitch in the satisfactory carrying out of the arrangements. CHILDREN'S INSISTENT CLAMOUR. "When I found,"; remarked the Hon. R. F. Bollard to-day, in giving an outline of what was being done for the country children, "that. there was such an inisistent clamour from the children in the country districts to see the ships, I had no compunction at all in recommending the Government that -the very best arrangements be made to bring into the visiting- ports as many'children as could be managed, and for everything possible to be done to make them comfortable. I hope that the day for'the' visit in each port will be a day of joy for the children. I am sorry that they could not be brought to the ports by. the railways free, but the next best thing has been done—special excursion rates have been granted." > CHILDREN FROM THE COUNTRY. Mr. Bollard- made--reference--to some remarks made by the chairman of the Navy League- (Captain Chudley), who had characterised the Government's ori"inal offer to give a £ for>£ subsidy up. to £50 for meals for the country children as a "measly offer." "Originally," the Minister stated, "it was tentatively arranged that the Government grant a subsidy to the Navy League towards the cost of feeding the children from the country during their visit to the ports.. It.was subsequently found, however, that the league had no funds for the pnrpose. Upon receipt of this information I was very-.pleased to recommend the Government £6 accept the responsbility for the feeding of the children. There will be about BCOO children from country districts to be treated at Wellington, and tho total cost of feeding all the children at the different ports will be approximately £1250. In dealing with the children on the oreat occasion, the Government has no desire to be 'measly'—to use Captain Chudley's expression—but in the expenditure involved it naturally seeks.a little practical consideration from some of the sociel ties having the interests of the children at heart.