AMERICAN FLEET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13765, 2 June 1908, Page 5

AMERICAN FLEET.

; CONFERENCE OF MAYORS. ; ; QUESTION OF FINANCES. . A conference of tho various Mayors and chairmen of the local bodies interested in the forthcoming visit of the American fleet to Auckland took place in the City "Council Chambers yester.liy afternoon, the Mayor of the City (Mr. A. M.. Myers) presiding. The chairman laid before the meeting the financial aspect and the question, of allocation. He said that the money could 1 be raised by private subscription or by • a grant from each of the local bodies concerned. The Government had promised to give the necessary legislative authority for the latter. The allocation for each local body of a sum of £2000 would be as follows: —Auckland City, £1080 Grey Lynn, £77; Mount Eden, £103; Newmarket, £85; Parnell, £83; " Birkenhead, £19; Devorrport, £85 ; Northcote, £17; Onehunga, £55; Archhill, £17; Avondalo, £17; Eden Terrace, £22; Epsom, £48; Mount Albert, £60; Mount Roskill, £30; Mount Wellington, £31; One-tree Hill, £53; Orakei, £1; Point Chevalier, £7; Remueni, £99; Tamaki West, £20; Waitemata County, £98. This sum, of coarse, was exclusive of ■ the contribution of the Harbour Board. If the Harbour Board gave a sum equal to that of the City Council, the amount raised would be about £3000, and 'he conference would have to decide whether this was excessive.' The Harbour Board would deal with such questions as the erection of landing places, etc. The delegates would have to submit the proposal e • ' -i to their various Councils. Mr. Macfarlane (Harbour rfoard) said he was sure that body would enter heartily into any general scheme put for- ' ward. . On the question being raised regarding the voting of the money, the Chairman said the eyes of the Dominion were on Auckland waiting for it to do something, and therefore he hoped that there would be no half-measures about what they did. They had already been delayed a long time through not receiving the Govern- : ment proposals. The conference adjourned till Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock. DISCUSSION AT PARNELL. At the meeting' of the Parnell Borough Council, it was decided to leave the matter of determining the borough's contribution in connection with the welcome to the fleet in the hands of the Mayor. Several of the councillors thought that as the ' matter was a national affair, the whole of the expenses shoidd be borne by the Government. The Mayor remarked that the proportion proposed to be levied on. Parnell, viz., £80, was very small. Instead of the local bodies only expending £3000, he thought it should be nearer ; £10,000. , „ The Grey Lynn Borough Council, at its '"meeting last evening, deferred consideration of the question. GOVERNMENT TO SPEND £5000. i PROPOSALS TO BE SUBMITTED TO ' THE GOVERNOR. ' [BY telegraph.— correspondent.] Wellington, Monday. The Government is prepared to spend £5000 on the entertainment of the United . States fleet. Mr. T. H. Hamer (Under-Secretary for Mines), and Mr. T. E. Donne (manager of the Tourist Department), who have been appointed Entertainment Commissioners, had a long' conference with the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) on Saturday, with reference to the Government enter- . tainment of the officers and men of the fleet. v ' ' , ■ , . A number of proposals were made by Mr. Hamer and Mr. Donne, and s these will ' be submitted to • His Excellency the Governor, the Mayor of Auckland, and City Council, and also the American ConsulGeneral (Mr. W. A. Prickitt). The Commissioners will leave Wellington for the North to-morrow. MAORI AQUATIC CARNIVAL. The committee of the Ngaruawahia Regatta Association has offered to organise a Maori aquatic carnival in connection with the visit oi the fleet. ■•' A TEMPERANCE RESOLUTION. At a meeting of the Auckland Temperance Crusader, held last night, the following resolution was adopted:—"That the Mayor bo requested, in response to the American Admiral's request, not to supply the men-o -warsmen with liquor, and to use his influence with the trade to close • all the liquor bars during the visit of the American fleet to Auckland.'' TEE VISITING ADMIRALS. INTERESTING PARTICULARS. The United States Consul General in Auckland, Mr. W. A. Prickitt, has received some interesting particulars regarding the personnel of the admirals in charge of the American fleet. Unless something unforeseen occurs, the fleet will be commanded by RearAdmiral Charles Stillman Sperry, one of the most accomplished naval officers of the United States. lie is nearly 61 years of age, was graduated at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1866, made an ensign in 1868, and passing through the intermediate grades, became captain in 1900, and rear-admiral in 1906. Admiral Sperry is president of the U.S. Naval ■War' "College, and member of the National Coast Defence Board. He was a delegate in June, 1906, to the Geneva Conference, which'had in consideration the treatment of the sick and Wounded, and was also a delegate to. the Second Hague Con- • ference" in 1907. ' His home is in Water, bury, Conn. The Chief of Staff is Captain Royal '" Rodney Ingersoll, who is about the same age as Admiral Sperry. He has served ' as U.S. naval officer in all parts of the world, and was commissioned captain in 1905. He is an author of repute in the ~ science of gunnery, and'-has' written "A Text Book "of Ordnance," " Exterior Ballastics," and "Elastic Strength of Guns." One of the divisions of the fleet will ho commanded by Rear Admiral Richard Wnmright. Admiral Waimight graduated 'ated at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1868. He was the executive officer with the rank of commander on the U.S. battleship .Maine until she was blown up in the harbour of Havana, in February, 1898. Ho commanded the Gloucester in the Spanish-American war, and took part in the destruction of Admiral Cervera's fleet off Santiago in ' July, 1898, bein? advanced ton numbers in rank for conspicuous service in this battle. Another division . will be under the command of Rear-Admiral Seaton Scliroeder, who was born in 1849 at Washington, D.C. ; He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1864, and graduated in 1868. After passing the intermediate grades he became . captain in 1903, .■■and has been recently appointed fear-admiral. He was advanced _ three numbers for conspicuous cooduct in the war with Spain, and was the prize essay- , ist at the U.S. Naval Institute in 1894. He is the author of "Fall of Maximilian's .Empire," and- a frequent magazine con- _ tributorjt ' ■ ,