GENERAL NEWS Maoris Plan For Royal Visitors

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 October 1948, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS Maoris Plan For Royal Visitors

A party of between 400 and 500 Maoris may be among the first "New Zealanders to welcome the Royal visitors when RMS. Vanguard arrives at Wellington next year. Although the Wellington Citizens’ Welcoming.'Committee has not yet made a final decision, it is likely. that a traditional Maori welcome will. be the visitors’ first introduction to New Zealand. Wellington Maoris have planned a decorated gate, representing a palisaded entrance to a Maori village, at Aotea quay, behind which it is'intended the welcoming party will be grouped. Mr F. B. Katene, of the Maori Department, said he hoped the Royal party would stay long enough outside the gate to hear the traditional song of welcome. If these three or four minutes could nbt be spared, it would be useless to organise the Maori ceremony, he said. If the ceremony is approved, Maoris from Otaki and the Wairarapa will be invited to take part.—(P.A.) Health Stamp Sales The first week’s sales in the Health Stamp campaign amounted to £74,929, announced the PostmasterGeneral, Mr F. Hackett today. The first week’s sales last year amounted to £59,700. The highest district total was Wellington with £13,3371 — New Ration Cards

Applications received at the Chief Post Office, Greymouth, since Monday for the issue of the new ration cards (eighth series) have totalled 1433. In the corresponding two days last year 1886 applications were dealt with and a total of 11,086 ration books were issued. The present issue started on Monday and the final day of issue is October 22.

Thefts at Hospital Reference to recent thefts at the Grey Hospital was made at last night’s meeting of the Hospital Board. The visiting committee recorded that it had been reported to it that some petty thefts had occurred about the hospital and that unauthorised persons had visited the Old People’s Home during the night. The committee had approved, the action taken to report the matters to the police. Replying to a question by Mr W. Fisher, the chairman (Mr A. Mosley.) said that in one instance the articles missing were wearing apparel of a member of the staff and in the other they were the personal possessions of a patient. Maoris and Ail Blacks

The exclusion of Maoris from the All Black Rugby team to tour South Africa next year—an issue on which considerable public attention was focused as a result of the attitude adopted by the Wellington Waterside Workers’ Union, which advocated the suspension of the tour in the circumstances —was discussed for the first time by members of the Greymouth Waterside Workers’ Union at the monthly stop-work meeting this morning. It was later reported that no decision was reached either in support or in opposition to the Wellington branch of the union, which had urged other branches to follow its lead.

See Land Development film, Scenes of New Zealand, and “Thoroughbred” at Annual Meeting of Progress League, Harker’s Tea Rooms tonight (Wednesday).—Advt.

See Land Development film, Scenes of New Zealand, and “Thoroughbred” at Annual Meeting of Progress League, Harker’s Tea Rooms tonight (Wednesday).—Advt.

See Land Development film, Scenes of New Zealand, and “Thoroughbred” at Annual Meeting of Progress League, Harker’s Tea Rboms tonight (Wednesday).—Advt.

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