ROYAL RECEPTION COMMITTEE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1345, 9 March 1868, Page 3

ROYAL RECEPTION COMMITTEE.

The adjourned meeting of tho committoe was held yesterday in the board-room of the City Commissiners, Mr. Thomas Macfarlane in the chair. The minutes of tho preceding meeting wero read by the secretary (Mr. J. Oglme) and confirmed. Tho following correspondence was read : — " Willow Cottage, Vincent-street, " 7ih March. "Sir, —At a mooting of the Superintendents of Bunday schools held last ovoning 'the sub-oommittee was again requested to ask the Hoyal Beception Committee what arrangements they have made or intond to make for tho children of the various Sunday schools to take part in the programme for the reception of H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh. " It was also suggested that the moet suitable Bpot for the children to be assembled is the ground in front of tho Government House. —I have the honor, &c, " WrLiiiASi Taylor, " Secretary to sub-committee. " — Ogilrie, Keq." " Albert Barraokn, March sth. " Sir, —Aβ my duties have hitherto prevented my attendance at the meetings of any of the branches of tho Royal Reception Committee, to which I am informed I have the honor to belong, and as I see no prospeot of my being able personally to render them any assistance, I feel it ie only right that my name should no longer remain on their list. "I shall foel obliged, therefore, if you will allow me to withdraw it.—l remain, &c, " Gbo. A. Elliot, "Liout.-Colonel 18th Boyal Irish. " Tho Secretary of the Royal " Beception Committee." In reply to the letter of the Superintendent of Sunday schools, it was determined to inquire whether permission would be given to allow the children to occupy the ground indicated. Hl9 Honor eaid the commissioners met that morning. Ho put in a claim for ae large a sum as 0 >uld be grai ted for tho regatta, more especially the canoe race. All the commissioners said that they wouldreeoinmend£lso,and Mr. Maflbrd agreed tothat. About £20 or £30 of that would hive to be spent in repairing the large Canoe at Onehunga. There ia a difficulty in interfering with the arrangements as to tho places which the Prince would touch at, aud where the native demonstration would ho held. The commissioners would recommend £500 in all in the event o( the Auckland people desiring to have a native demonstration—that is, for the native display and the regatta, comprising the repairs of the canoe at Onehunga. That was simply for the cost of bringing the natives to Auckland. Mr. Stafford had not said anything vrith respect to the larger sum, but tho legatta committee could rely upon the £150.

Mr. Smart : Who is to maintain them ? Mr. BEvERIDeB : We are. His Honor : Ifc is no doubt meant that the natives should be our guests while they are hero. Communication was ordered to be made to the native committee, viz., that £350 had been recommended by the Commissioners to be disposed of in bringing the natives up to Auckland, bat the recommendation must receive the sanction of the Governor. Mr. GrjiLDiNQ said that ho believed it wee the intention of the natives in Taupo district to pat their canoe on the lake there. His Hosou said that Mr. Stafford had informed him that he had provided a carriage for His Royal Highnest. and euite. also a carriage for the Governor and euito, and a carriage for the Commiaionera. Also, horses, carriage, &c, for the Duke during his stay in Auckland. The cost of all these would, of course, be borne by the Commissioners. The Commissioners further recommended that in respect to addresses by local bodies, drafts should be sent in to some one member of the Commission. It wa* intimated by the Committee that all draft copies of the addressje should be sent to His Honor tha Superintendent, who would forward them to the Commissioners.

His Honor further said that the Commissioners had suggested thit the local Committee should take charge of conducting H.K.H. through the town—that is, they should take tho lead in the procession, the Euke'e carriage following, that followed by the Governor's carriage, which would in turn be followed by the carriage of the Commissioners. It was also recommended that there should be erected a landing Sta&e, with a covering. His Honor said he had given instructions to the Harbour Muster to see after that. Paul, of Orali ei, he believed, would bring fern and palm trees to be ranged along the wharf. There would be no arches. Mr. Stafford recommended that there should be a space enolosed round the place where the carriage for the Duke would be in waiting, the object of course being to avoid confusion and crowding round His Royal Highness. The arrangements at present are that the cariiage of the local committee would occupy a position at the end of Queen-street, and would precede the Duke's • irriage. Thi carriages of the Governor, the Commissioners, and the public bodies would be in waiting in Gußtomhouse-street.

Hi* Honor said that it might be desirable to have somebody to marshal the committee. Major Heaphy suggested that the address of the people of the province might be presented at the landing place, the address of the City Board at the end of the wharf upon hie firot setting foot in the city, and the Address of the Provincial Council would be the first presented in Government House. His H"Nob said thut the Government would be at the expense of the bonfires on the surrounding hills and the fireworks. He wished also to inform the committee that Mr. Hall was engaged on a very beautiful border, within which it was desirable that a suitable address should be engrossed. The Committee having charge of the wharf arrangements undertook to prepare an addres* to the Duko, to be submitted for adoption to the General Hecep'ion Committee. On the motion of Mr. Bevebidoe, it was agreed that £100 should be handed over to the Kegatta Committee. This coaoluded the proceedings.