THE CORONATION

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 70, 24 March 1937, Page 9

THE CORONATION

N.Z. CELEBRATIONS

GOVERNMENT PLANS

SCHOOL FUNCTIONS

KING TO BROADCAST

An OY'tline of the Government's proposals for the celebration of the Coronation of King George VI was given today by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon M. J. Savage). It is hoped that every section of the people will have an opportunity to take part in the celebrations, and the Government is appealing to all authorities and organisations to co-oper-ate in a national festival.

"The Government has given very careful consideration to the whole question of Coronation celebrations, which, it is desired, should be as widespread as possible," stated the Prime Minister. • "The week beginning on Coronation Day, May 12, should, it is desired, be celebrated throughout the Dominion as Coronation Week. Coronation Day itself will be a paid holiday for all Government employees, including casual labour and those working under awards. Those departments unable to close down entirely on Coronation Day will give one day's pay or one day's leave in lieu of pay to each worker employed on that day, and like provision will be made with regard to the unemployed. The Government invites all local authorities and private employers to observe a similar holiday with pay in' the same manner as has been decided on for Government employees. "The Government invites all churches in New Zealand to hold special services on Sunday, May 16> and if they desire, on Coronation Day as well. These services can be either special services in individual churches or combined services as may be mutually arranged in each town. CEREMONIAL FUNCTIONS. "The Government recognises that local controlling authorities are the best judges of what form of celebration is most suited to their respective localities. The Government itself proposes to organise a function on the steps of Parliament House, Wellington, at 11 a.m. on Coronation Day, at which his Excellency the GovernorGeneral and.the Mayor of Wellington will be invited, together with the Acting Prime- Minister, to address those assembled. Similar functions in each centre of population at the same hour would give uniformity to the national observance. .Generally speaking, throughout Coronation Week the local controlling authorities should, it is suggested, arrange suitable social and other functions in keeping with the occasion. "Sports bodies in particular, are invited to -hold special sporting' events during Coronation Week. The Defence and Naval authorities will be requested to hold reviews, etc., and salutes will be arranged for at every possible saluting centre. The authorities i.will; be requested to co-ordinate their proposals- in- .each-, case with" those of the controlling local authority. "The part school children will play in the celebrations has received most careful consideration. It is desired to avoid any prolonged strain such as is involved in bringing children together from different schools over a large area. It is therefore proposed on this occasion that children should go to their own schools on the morning of Coronation Day and that, in each school at 9 a.iru, a short ceremony should be held, the children then being released for the remainder of the day. Where, however, in any local district there is a desire for the children either from one school or several schools to take part in any ceremony, the question of allowing them so to take\part will be left to the discretion of the local Education Board and the controlling authorities of any secondary schools affected. . "As has already been announced, it is not proposed to issue Coronation souvenirs to individual school children, but the Government will, at a later date, have a suitable souvenir of the Coronation presented to each school throughput the Dominion. On the day before the Coronation, the schools will be requested to recognise and explain to scholars, as part of the school curriculum, the significance of the Coronatipn. If is ' also suggested that schools themselves might provide some suitable symbol of commemoration—for example, where practicable, the planting of a tree in the school grounds. DECORATIONS AND ILLUMINATIONS. » "Some time ago the Government approved of the decoration and illumination of public buildings throughout New Zealand on a scale commensurate with the occasion. A special interdepartmental committee has been working for some time on this, and a very complete scheme has been evolved. It will undoubtedly be the finest display of its kind yet held in New Zealand. Not only in the four centres, but in other main towns, suitable Government buildings will be decorated and illuminated, the illumination wherever possible taking the form' of floodlighting. Local authorities are invited to arrange displays of street ■ lighting and decorations, and business people and citizens generally are invited to 'decorate their buildings. "In the main centres the Public Works Department, which is acting for the inter-departmental committee, has already made contact with civic authorities for the purposes of coordinating their displays with the decoration and illumination proposed for Government buildings. The Government notes with satisfaction that throughout the Dominion local authorities are already dealing with this matter in earnest. "The example of certain power boards in making special reduced rates for electricity to be used for illuminations, is commended to all supplying authorities. The decorations and illuminations on public buildings will continue to be displayed throughout Coronation Week. BROADCAST OF KING. "Parliament Buildings at Wellington will be connected by a relay wire with 2YA and on Coronation night the ceremony in Westminster Abbey will be broadcast through loud speakers. The following day his Majesty's Coronation address to the Empire will be similarly' broadcast. The National Broadcasting Service will be requested to arrange suitable programmes throughout Coronation Week. "All expenditure incurred by _ local authorities and other public bodies in connection with the Coronation will be validated next session. No Government grants, however, will be made for ' either local . celebrations or memorials, or for the entertainment of B&eel ctildrea," i