AUSTRALIAN NAVAL VISIT FALLS THROUGH

Northern Advocate, 23 March 1937, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN NAVAL VISIT FALLS THROUGH

The reason for the cancellation of a proposed visit from H.M.A.S. Canberra, ; Sydney and Australia to the Bay of i Islands and Whangarei, was given at , the meeting of the Whangarei Borough , Council last night. A letter was received a short time ago from the Under-Secretary of'the Department of Internal Affairs, ac- | quainting the council with the fact that the three warships would probably j visit Whangarei on April 15 and 16. Advice, however, was received later that the northern cruise had been cancelled. | The Deputy-Mayor explained that the original programme was prepared ji n Australia. The date of departure from the Commonwealth had been altered, and the warships were now arriving in New Zealand waters three days later than proposed, and adhering, with slight alterations made by f the Australian authorities, to the original ( itinerary. j On account of the. later arrival of j the squadron, it had been necessary to cut out at least two days’ programme. ( and trips to the Bay of Islands and Whangarei had been cancelled. The Naval Secretary had written to the Borough Council, regretting that the Internal Affairs Department had not been advised of the alterations in the squadron’s itinerary. Mr Morrish said that no question of the facilities at the port of Whangarei had been raised. On the proposal of Cr. A. T. Brainsby, the council expressed its regret at the cancellation of the visit, while still hoping that it might be possible, after all, to reinstate the northern cruise in ] the itinerary, .