AT THE CAPITOL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 12 June 1939, Page 7

AT THE CAPITOL

CONGRESSIONAL RECEPTION SPONTANEOUS EXPRESSION OF FRIENDSHIP WASHINGTON, 9th June. The function at the Capitol was attended by 96 Senators and 435 members of the House of Representatives, directly beneath the great white dome. Standing on a strip of blue carpet in front of the statute of Thomas Jefferson holding a copy of the American Constitution, Their Majesties shook hands with 400 men and women who control the destines of the United States, and whose dress was as varied as their political creeds.

“COUSIN GEORGE” Representative Nat. Patton (Democrat), of Texas, hit the front pages of the American Press by addressing Their Majesties as cousins. ‘'Cousin George,” he said, in telling about it later, “I bring you greetings from farflung regions of the Empire State of Texas.” “It struck him like a thunderbolt,” said Mr Patton. “Then I said to the Queen: “Cousin Elizabeth, you are a thousand times prettier than your pictures make you, and I mean that. You’re nearly as pretty as the blue bonnet girls in Texas.’ Yest I said that, and they liked it. The Queen said ‘Thank you,’ and smiled. Senator Pittman, in a statement to the Press, said: “I have never seen such a spontaneous universal expression of friendship” as that demonstrated at the Congressional reception of Their Majesties. Senator Clark said the reception was “a splendid personal tribute to Their Majesties as very charming individuals.” Senator Walsh expressed the opinion that Their Majesties made “a very favourable impression on the American people.” Incidentally, the White House staff did everything possible to meet Their Majesties’ taste in food and drink. Tea was served from water treated so it had the exact chemical content of London water in the hope that the tea would taste like London tea. Whether Their Majesties thought it did was not learnt.

Their Majesties met administrative officials of the New Deal at a small, quietly informal White House tea devoted to informing the visiting Sovereigns concerning the social and economic activities of the administration. It was attended by Cabinet members and heads of Goverment agencies. Each was presented, and about a dozen sat for brief conversations, answering questions and volunteering information on what his or her particular agency was doing.

The tea was a restful interlude for Their Majesties in a busy day. The guests included the Secretaries, Messrs Cordell Hull, H. A. Wallace and Hopkins and Miss Frances Perkins. Earlier Their Majesties had inspected a typical civilian conservations corps camp near Washington as part of their study of the New Deal.

The Labour leader, Mr John L- Lewis pointedly stayed away from the tea. Mr William Green attended, being incidentally, the only guest formally attireci It was recalled that several ago Lady Lindsay said Mr Lewis and Mr Green had been invited to the Embassy garden party. Later she said she did not know whether they were or not. Both said they did not receive invitations and neither attended. RECEPTION AT EMBASSY

In the shaded garden at the British Embassy this morning Their Majesties mingled for half an hour with a thousand of their subjects who are resident in the United States. It was a restrained and affectionate reception, deeply charged with emotion. The band from H.M.S. Exeter, which is at present lying at Baltimore, played heart-stirring music, and troops and 230 bemedalled ex-servicemen were present The music and the unexpected intimacy with the King and Queen caused many eyes to fill with tears. Their Majesties chatted with Miss Anne Leahy, a New Zealander who served with the Red Cross during the war, and also with Mr John Carintha, the turbaned son of a chief of the Sherbo Tribe, of Sierra Leone, who is a medical student at the University of Ohio. The ex-servicemen on parade included Dr B. S. Hutcheson, an American, who won the Victoria Cross while serving with the 75th Canadian Battalion. VISIT TO DOMINION PAVILION TOUR OF 1926 RECALLED MARKED INTEREST IN MAORI EXHIBITS NEW YORK, 10th June. | When Their Majesties visited the . Australian pavilion at the World’s Fair, the Queen told Mrs MacGregor, wife of the Australian Commissioner, how pleased she was that the Duke and Duchess of Kent were going to Australia. She added that they were looking forward to their visit very much. The King also mentioned his brother’s impending visit. When Mr Bullock said Australia would be very glad to have the Duke of Kent as Governor-General, the King smiled and was obviously pleased. "That’s very nice,” he said. The Queen’s remarkable memory was illustrated by her recollecting meeting

the MacGregors in Brisbane in 1926. Present in the pavilion were 140 Australians, or Americans associated with Australian interests. Mr MacGregor’s daughter Margaret and the Bulcocks were presented. Six bemedalled diggers stood at attention. They included Mr A. E. Bourne, now of Poughkeepsie, an accountant, who served with the Australian artillery. Their Majesties were in the pavilion for seven minutes. They posed for a picture against the background of a huge map of Australia. When her eye fell on reproductions of Koala bears the Queen commented how she was attracted by them when in Australia.

Their Majesties visited the New Zealand pavilion, where 75 New Zealanders were gathered. This also brought back recollections of the 1926 tour. The Queen said she was longing to visit New Zealand again. She stopped at a diorama of Milford Sound and said how sorry she was that illness caused the cancellation of her South Island tour.

Their Majesties displayed marked interest in the Maori exhibits. The Queen referred appreciatively to her visit to Rotorua and commented on the spaciousness of the pavilion.