DOMINION DAY

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 62, 10 September 1924, Page 3

DOMINION DAY

NEW ZEALAND'S 5 - RECEPTION

MORE-.THAN:,2OOO...GUESTS

MAOEIS PEESENTED TO HER

■HIGHNESS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

LONDON, -29th July

.. There . were? more than ■• 2000 acceptances to the. invitations sent out by Sir ■ James..'.ADem,'lfoE.iiis-1.-receptiori -"Ji&,, tiie j\Tew Zealand pavilion-on-"'.'New Zealand Day." Undoubtedly : well over two ; thousand _ people- were •;actually present.' The number of. invitations issued^\y_s over• 4000. ■ .For-a week or more there. Lad been a'spell-ol the best "summer ;. weather." This, however, broke on the .morning^ of •;/■'-New;jZealand-pay,'' but the intermittent showers were not 'enough' to deter many.people from their purpose of .participating in. tho; special Dolninion. .meetings and festivities. A good proportion of those who attended the reception, had been present previou-ly-at .the; New Zealand concert in the .Conference Hall of the Exhibition, and -many had'attended the conference in •the morning.* Others canTe'specially for :the. reception... _On the r .lawn..opppsite..tlie :left wing of the pavilion' a very large marquee had- been erected. A covered way led to. the- verandah that runs- tho length of-" the Assembly Room. Along one side ,of .the marquee was a buffet set for afternoon1 tea. The, whole; of tho ■opposite side- wasopenrso- that a'.secttoii of the lawn', was tfius out-off-entirely from the public outside.. Another smaller tent open at one side was arranged with tables for Sir James and Lady Allen, Her Highness' Princess Helena-.Victoria, and a.jiumber; of.-, special guests'. .Tho secondary industries court was closed to the general public during the tiinu of the reception..; -''.; .. '.--._ Guests passed "in the -main entrance f.nd througli the secondary industries WUKt, .and,so into.,tbe panelled.,Assem'i)ly..Kopin, where, they were, received, by tlie High Commissioner. ' They iheii" made their way;-through to- the lawn •the Assembly. Room was decorated with pink awL-whitea-bses1, and in the centro of the room: was'a: _rie_lree'.:fern. whoso fronds ;spread; well over the -heads of the visitors.. liiside the tent there were decorations of- flowers and-pot-plants

lIAKV& AND POI D4NCLS

Among the High Commissioner's guests were the party:, of Maoris who" are visiung England. , Katana was -amon^ them, but:his identity was not disclosed to anyone. TTio Maoris had promised to perform some hakas and. poi dance* and these were greatly enjoyed by the: 1 nncess and.-the other guests.- - All the young girls ',were tastefully" dressed in ' a uniform cpstume-^a;-blue' sportsI; coafc i:wl blue skirt with, a* speckled straw hat. The men.wore uniform to'the extent of; wearing:" strawVhats with 'red and. black colours, with the fern ljnf and the letters" N.Z. " in front; For the poi -dances each'of the twelve girls wore" a."dancing"kilt (Piu Piu).over their c:oth customes, ■ and, danced 'to the accompaniment .of music proyidcd^by a violin, a guitar, a Hawaiian 'instrument, and a concertina. They ; gaye1 several dances^ for the •benefit oi>different; sections of the guests, and ten of the men gave several; hakas, which were done with great spirit and energy, despite the handicap of European clothes. The general" dignity-and aloofness of • these Maori visitors is very" striking. It' they were hereto ■demonstrate the dignity and independence of their race, they 'could not; do'better. la passing to the New-Zealand- pavilion and back to the station, photographers and interviewers- were eager to know -something about them,'or to take a photograph of them. They evade publicity of any kind, however,: with , ; refusal; courteous but firm. Even in the privacy of the.New Zealand grounds camera men were warned not to attempt""to"snap .tli'em. They keep almost* entirely; t6*"themselves,and '" information that might-pgssriblybe".;used for publication, is strictly forbidden Mr iVT. Moko.(Mr. T. W. Eatana's private, secretary), deals .with all: inquiries from;' piessmen, and. gives, them nothing more than is absolutely necessary! - -■ An' hour' after the" large company of •' guests had,'assembled the weatherrdear-"" cd.Completely, and the evening was most' pleasant. ■ New Zealanders from every part of the Dominion; found a-great plea- ! sure in beingTamong so'."inany" of their cwn countrymen. It was not until well on. : towards- 7 o'clock^ that, the'giiests b.e-'; gan 'to-melt: away,-'but-manyof them •" found the comfort ■':of''the Assembly"'> ltoom , and ■ the pleasant surrounding attractions.;wiiich; > k'epb,.them at the pa-vilion-untiHo_>rards 'closing-timerDur- . ing the afternoon and -evening the guests " were able".to .witness": an" exhibition of the films:in.■tlfe.lcinematograpluhali; and. • Ihe Maori party found a'great" dearof * amusement in.the film depicting: Maori life. 0 . '■■■■..-'- /.' .': ;■: .-. ..; ° .

' MAORIS-, PRESENTED TQ THE-■ :..■;..;.'. .,, ..,:..PRINCESS.-;'-'. '^' "'<' -An' interesting ■ceremony' took", 'place before. Priiicess: Helena: -'.Victoria .: left ■pc clnef Eketone, Mrs. ..Rataaa and Met.' t.wo^daugliters,vMr/Peter-Moko;-and' ait-! other member : of : the party weru presented to Her Highness. ' The Princess bad aJnuef. conversation with each one :. Prio, r \o .her.^departure, ..the^Priricess was; the ;recipieufcfof oiie of; the .famous iS.ew Zealand ..travelling, -rugs; 'one. oE which. his akeady./beetirpVesented td-Hei: Majesty the Queen, aud, another to the Duchess of York. ■• ■ . - ■ .- .

.-_ fcir James and ■: Lady Allen met the Maori party-privately, in.' the - Maori house, and the High Commissioner expressed > lus ; : thanks -tp-- them ; for. their, kmdness.jn. performing.for. ; therbenefit-of^ h l s^gue S k.;;.The chle/,-Eketone. Replied! in Maori gayea^very characteristic and excellent;.speech.. .In the'translation- by; Mrr^P. Moko^ the statements were considerably curtailed What emerged into English, however, was an expression of-appreciation bf the honour they had received in being presented to Her Highness- the Princess. On behalf f _Mi" s- -;Ku-tanaj.-"the .chieL.presented to Lady Allen, .a , Piu . Pi u ■ (dancing, ETt), winch, they desired should be shown in the Maori-house until tho end of the ExlnbiUon. .Incidentally, it-wu; mentioned that the party wore - much ■ disRPpoiiited.Tjy the way in. which: the Maori race had been.; represented .by the 'exhibits shown ih-iMata-Atua. "'■ V'"" '•':* ;

Tha greatest sections-of the new aerial masts of the-b.ggest wireless- station in ' the world, at Hillmorton; near Rugby aro now arriving by iiight ahd'on SupdaVs, at the adjoining stations of Kilsby and. Crick " says the "Daily steel Fections are so bigjfcat/jhgjg-ig no room for - a tram to passon-.lho.adjacent rails, BO that they have-,;to be'yjransported when there is no other traffic,.-Th enew aerial will bo one and a half miles long and half a. mile wide, and will be supported by--12 steel masts, weighing SOO tons, and 820 " % °o %\*' ?- 1' ? loro than hvice the height o£ St.. Pauls Cathedral (365 feet)...-Each mast is htted with a lift inside, capable oE caixyauff, four men.. It will be; the sroatestacnal m tha world, and this "new Imperial wireless station will' be capable o£ conuaunioatins .-jyitii any. part oFtha' gtobo, „ „ .. ............... "... . ' .