THE AMERICAN FLEET

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 31, 5 August 1925, Page 6

THE AMERICAN FLEET

PLANS FOR ENTERTAIN- ■ ' ' '•■ MENT A SURVEY OF ARRANGEMENTS PROGRAMME CONSIDERABLY REDUCED. A general survey of the arrangements made for the reception and entertainment of the officers and ■ men of the American fleet was given at last evening's meeting of tho Finance and Executive Committee of the General Reception Committee. The Mayor (Mr. C. B. Norwood) was in the chair. Tho chairman of the Entertainment Committee (Mr. G. Mitchell) reported that the activities of the ladies, particularly in regard to the dances and running of the club-room at the Town Hall, promised very well indeed. The enthusiasm and energy shown also augured well for the success of the chief function, the Citizens' Ball. Everything in that regard was _ going forward most satisfactorily, and it was expected that the ball would be one of the finest ever held in Wellington. The Racing Club had placed the whole of its organisation at the disposal of the committee, and decorations, supper, and music would be of "the best. As Admiral Coontz has indicated that it is his wish that the number of officers to be invited should* be considerably reduced the committee is now able to offer a number of additional tickets to citizens, but in order that disappointment may be avoided it. recommends that application should be made for these as early as possible. Cabled messages from Australia have stated that citizens' balls in Sydney and Melbourne proved so popular that the dancing floors were crowded to a point which made dancing almost impossible, and in order to guard, against this the Wellington committee has placed a limit of 1100 upon the number of dancers. It is considered that there will not be any difficulty in disposing of the required number of tickets to citizens. SPORTS PROGRAMME CURTAILED The chairman of the Sports Committee was unfortunately absent last evening and no details of the activities of his committee were given, but it was made clear that the arrangements made ara, progressing as smoothly as possible considering the drastic cuts made at the request of the Commander-in-Chief. Events which the committee had thought would be of particular interest to the visitors and also to the public have been deleted, or at any rate, the fixing of these events has been postponed until the arrival of the fleet, when probabiy certain further arrangements may be" made or some of those cut out may be reinstated. Athletic sports fixtures, basketball matches, rifle shooting, the cutter races, boxing,- and baseball competitions have all been considerably curtailed. The basbeaJl programme, for instance, has been reduced to a couple of days, an exhibition match between ships' teams on Monday, 17th August,- and a tentative ship by ship competition. The big competition among baseball teams which the committee had in mind has apparently vanished. An invitation was extended to the men to attend a senior Rugby match at Petone, but cannot be accepted. IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCEPT ALL The Admiral has expressed his, full appreciation of what Wellington wishes to dp to entertain his officers and men, but has pointed out that it is impossible to grant shore leave to so many of the ships' personnel ac have been invited on certain days or evenings to take part in enjoyments ashore. For that reason, also, a number of cabaret dances have been deleted from the programme, and the number of officers who will be able to attend dances on the programme has been reduced, as also have the numbers to make trips to centres outside Wellington. It had been suggested that eighty should pay a visit to Mastertoh and fifty to Wanganui, but the number in each case has now been reduced to twenty-five. One hundred junior officers were to be invited to a "the dansante" by the English Speaking Union, but upon the advice.of the Admiral the invitations are to be restricted to fifty, and so again the number of officers who will be free to accompany the AdmiraJ at* the entertainment to be given by the Savage Club has been reduced from 100 to 50. MORE CARS WANTED The chairman of the Transport Committee (Mr. F. Goldberg) reported thai the response from the two or three thousand car owners in and around Wellington to the request that they should place their cars at the disposal of the committee for short periods during the visit of the fleet had been most disappointing, for not more than fifty had stated their willingness to assist. A further effort, stated Mr. Goldberg, would be made to enlist the assistance of car owners. Arrangements had been made for a number of tours through the Wellington district, for parties of officers on 13th, 18th, and 21st August, the routes being selected to embrace interesting runs which would in the limited time available best_ give the visitors an idea of the rural district* ot New Zealand and of the scenic beauties of the-Wellington province. ACCOMMODATION FOR SHORELEAVE MEN Progress made in arranging for accommodation for men on shore leave was reported by Mr. J. L. Hay. The Harbour Board's "U" shed, he said, was being transformed into an excellent dormitory with 1000 beds, and, thanks to the generosity of the Department of Internal Affairs, the Public Works Department, and the Wellington Gas Company, was being fitted with baths, hot and cold water, and equipment and conveniences of all descriptions. _ Admiral Coontz has expressed his particular appreciation of the provision being made, for shove leave men, which, he states,: will be fully used. In addition to the arrangements at tho "U" shed, a large flat in Messrs. Wright, Stephenson, and Company's buildings is being equipped as a lounge and club-room, where tho men can call in to rest or enjoy themselves and obtain light refreshments at the cafctaria. Admiral Coontz has made a request that t'le cafctaria service, up till 7 p.m., should not be made free, for he considers that the men will not wish to accept this additional service without paying for it. The same arrangement j will apply to the cafetaria in the Y.M.C.A.'s building in Willis street. After 7 p.m. tho cafetaria service will be free, and light suppers will be served np till 11 p.m. ' i Men who avail themselves of the sleeping accommodation ashore will also be served with a cup of tea or coffee and i snack before returning to their ships. The Mayor expressed the committee's thanks and appreciation of the excellent, work undertaken by Hie V.M.C.A. and its willing workers on (lie occasion of the visit of the Imperial Squadron, and said' that hv was sure that Mr. Hay and thosg

i under him would again make an equally thorough success of the work of catei'ing for the men of the fleet, PRIVATE ENTERTAINING The matter of private hospitality was also discussed, but no definite decision was arrived at, though it was agreed that further inquiries and efforts should be made to see that as much private hospitality was, dispensed as was possible to give the visitors an idea of home life in New Zealand. NAVY LEAGUE BALL The secretary of the Navy League (Mr. R. Darroch) stated that arrangements were well in hand for the ball to be given by the league, and the applications made for tickets indicated that the function would be a pronounced success. As is usual with the league's entertainments, the ladies will themselves attend to supper arrangements. FUNDS—POOR RESPONSE TO APPEAL The position as regards funds was generally considered to be satisfactory, but it was a matter of keen disappointment to the committee that out of the eighteen local bodies which had been approached only the Featherston County Council had contributed £25 and the Martinborough Town Board two guineas, while of-the seventeen wholesale and retail associations which had been asked to contribute only the Hardware Mer- t ■chants' Association and the Provincial' ! Licensed Victuallers' Association had responded, the first with a contribution of £25, and the second with one of £50. Those contributions have been very gratefully accepted. • FURTHER ARRANGEMENTS ON FLEET'S ARRIVAL Mr. James Hislop, Under-Secretary of Internal Affairs, outlined the official and Government programme o;f entertainment. The full programme, he said, was being printed by the Government, and would be made available in a day or two tfo anyone who should require a copy. He regretted, as did the committees, that the programme and arrangements had had to be curtailed, in some cases to such an extent as to upset the calculations of 1 intending hosts arid hostesses,, but nothing could, be done until the arrival of tha fleet, when possibly certain of the items could be reinstated, and the number of guests at functions increased to something nearer the numbers first proposed. BANDS AND CHILDREN It was decided that the various bands should be communicated with at once in order that full arrangements might be made for a musical as well as a hearty welcome, and that the Education Board should be approached with a request that arrangements should be made for the school children to line tho foreshore at the best vantage' points. It 1 was suggested that' each child should ' carry a flag, preferably the Stars and j Stripes. The Navy League, which has ! 3500 junior members in the Wellington [ schools, .will be asked to co-operate in ! this children's welcome. The Seattle will berth at 1 p.m.