VICE-REGAL VISIT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 238, 26 September 1930, Page 4

VICE-REGAL VISIT

PROGRAMME SLIGHTLY ALTERED FOUR DAYS’ STAY IN HASTINGS MEETING of committef ON MONDAY. By the mail last evening ths Mayor (Mr. G. F. Roach) received the following communication from the secretary to His Excellency the Governor-General regarding the proposed vice-regal visit during the foithcoming Royal Show week;— “I have laid before the GovernorGeneral your letter of September 17, submitting a programme of engagements for the forthcoming visit of the Governor-General and Lady Bledisloe to Hastings on the occasion of the Royal Show. His Excellency wishes me to express his thanks for this carefully-drawn up, and comprehensive list of proposals, which appear to be so designed as to give Their Excellencies every opportunity of gratifying their desire to meet as many people of the town and district as possible, including the school children. "Before proceeding further. I am desired to say that as the visit to Napier, which was to have followed that to Hastings, has now been abandoned, Their Excellencies propose to spend an extra day at Hastings, namely, Thursday, October 23, and will probably visit the show some time during the morning, or afternoon, whichever may be the more convenient to the president of the show, whom I would be glad if His Worship would consult on the point. “In view of the extra time available, it may perhaps be convenient to transfer from the Tuesday to the Thursday afternoon the visit of Her Excellency to the Hastings Women's Community Club at 4.30, and the Governor-General’s inspection of the new quarters of the Lodges Heretaunga and Haeata, and also the County Club, at the same time. “With regard to Tuesday morning, I may mention that Their Excellencies do not usually take morning tea, but if their not doing so would cause any disappointment to those proposing it, they will, of course, fall in with the proposal. “His Excellency notes the kind suggestion to hold a social evening in the Assembly Hall at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. If this is a customary function in connection with ViceRegal visits, and if the Mayor considers it necessary in addition to the publio reception at Cornwall Park during the same afternoon, then Their Excellencies will be prepared to adopt the suggestion, but as you will have gathered from my previous letter, the Governor-General hopes that the Borough Council, in their desire to do honour to Her Excellency and himself, will not incur avoidable expense. “I am directed to say that, subject to such slight changes as my comments may involve, the GovernorGeneral approves the programme submitted, and is grateful to His Worship and all concerned in the preparation of it.” Commenting on the letter at the meeting of the Hastings Borough Council last evening, the Mayor said that Their Excellencies would now be making an extended stay in Hastings where they would be from Monday evening until Friday morning. Regarding further representations of the Chamber of Commerce for street lighting decorations, he drew attention to His Excellency’s desire to avoid undue expense. As the lighting effects suggested would be costly he could not see his way clear to recommend its adoption. The council decided to take no action in this matter. The Mayor announced that he would be calling a meeting of the Vice-Regal visit committee on Monday aft< rnnon next to finalise arrangements.