THE COMING FLEET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13782, 22 June 1908, Page 6

THE COMING FLEET.

. AUCKLAND PROGRAMME. NATIVE DISPLAY AT ROTORUA INTERESTING EVENTS. - I.v -connection with the visit of the officers of the American fleet and the Parliamentary party to Rotorua, on Thursday, August 13, various Maori demonstrations have been arranged for the entertainment of the visitors. At 11 a.m., a series,of native dances will be given in the Sanatorium grounds. Prizes have been offered as follows: — Team of 15 women haka performers. First prize £7, second £3. ( Team of men puha (war dance) performers. First £10, second £5. .' Team of women poi dancers. First £10, second £5. Team of 15 men haka performers. First £7, second £5. The demonstrations will be under the direction of ;To Rangi Hiroa (Dr. P. H. Buck), native health officer, from whom further information may be obtained. Entries (which are free) must be mad© on or before July 7. Mr. A. Hamilton, director-general of the Dominion Museum, Wellington, will be sole judge. . To-day the.Fleet Executive Committee will meet in conference representatives from the Auckland, Avondale, and Takapuna Racing Clubs, and discuss 'natters in connection with the proposed races at Ellerslie. ' MEETING OF EXECUTIVE. A meeting of the executive of the Fleet Committee was held on Saturday morning, when matters of detail were attended to. Several sub-committees were appointed to help in carrying out the proposed programme, as submitted the previous day. •Mr. T. W. Leys (chairman), the Rev. W. Beatty, and Rabbi Goldstein will form an Address Committee, and the Mayors of Devonport (chairman), Northcote, and Birkenhead were appointed to arrange the scheme (d illuminations on the foreshore, at Devonport. At a meeting of the executive to-day, the Government electrician, Mr. Reichel, will be present, together with Messjte. Bush (city engineer) and Donne (Government Commissioner), and the complete scheme of decoration, and the illumination of Queenstreet, will be discussed. Material and plans for the illuminations are now on the way to Auckland. A SOUVENIR ' The officers of the fleet will be presented with a handsome souvenir of their visit to Auckland in the shape of a volume which is being prepared by the Tourist Department. The work will contain much that is of historical interest, and -wall deal fully with the life of the people of New Zealand and the scenery. In addition, the visit of the fleet will be made the subject of a special department in the volume, and there: will be portraits of President Roosevelt, Admiral Sperry, members of the Cabinet, and the .Government Commissioners (Messrs. T. E. Donne and T. M. Hamer), and pictures of the vessels of the fleet. The whole is to be handsomely bound in red leather, and will be suitably inscribed. THE ELECTRICAL SUPPLY. " As might be expected, the City Council's electrical plant will be utilised to the last unit, and a large number of private applications for current- have been received from shopkeepers in Queen-street. It is doubtful whether any further supply will be available in the vicinity of the -water. front, as owing to the'large. demand already it is questionable- whether the feeders could carry any more current. Provision will be made for utilising all the current available, any margin being used by the Decoration Committee, and those who intend to connect with the service for fleet week would do well to make an early application. ACCOMMODATION FOR VISITORS. The secretary of the committee (Mr. H. G. Palethorpe) states that he has already received a number of replies from boardinghouse keepers and private householders who are willing to take boarders during fleet week. Applications will be received up to Juno 30. '■■■-.. VISIT TO PAGO PAGO. .Mr. W. A. Prickitt, the American Con-sul-General, holds the opinion that the fleet will call at Pago Pago, no intimation of the cancellation of this visit having been received, as in the case of the call at Suva. Moreover, it is thought probable that Admiral Sperry will be desirous of inspecting the harbour at Pago Pago. PARLIAMENTARY VISITORS. The following members of both Houses of Parliament have communicated with Mr. T. J E. Donne (Government Commissioner) notifyling their acceptance of the invitation to [ visit Auckland during fleet week, in addition to the Prime Minister and Lady Ward and partv:—Sir Henry Miller (Speaker of the Legislative Council); the following members of the Legislative CouncilHons. JJ. Sinclair (Otago), F. Trask (Nelson), H. J. Reeves (Nelson), J. Marshall (Westland), T. Thompson (Auckland), J. Holmes (Westland), S. T. George (Auckland), C. M. M. Luke (Wellington), W. Beehan (Auckland), and the following members of the House of Representatives—Messrs. T. Y. Duncan (Oamaru), R. M. Houston (Bay of Islands), J. McLachlau (Ashburton), J. A. Macpherson (Mount Ida). A. Kidd (Auckland), E. W. Alison (Auckland), D. Buddo (Kaiapoi). G. Witty (Riccarton), J. T. Hogan (Wanganui), H. J. H. Okey (Taranaki), F. R.'Flatman (Geraldine), E. G. Allen (Chalmers), A. Dillon (Hawke*s Bay), A. W. Rutherford (Hurunui), G. Laurenson (Lvttelton). ' In nearly all case 3 members will be accompanied by their wives and members of families.

SUPERINTENDING ILLUMINATIONS. [BY TELEGRAFH.-H?RESS ASSOCIATION'.] Wellington*, Saturday. •, Mr. Reichel, Government electrician, left for Auckland this morning, bis mission, being to superintend the illuminations on the occasion of the visit of the American fleet. AUSTRALIAN PROGRAMMES. FESTIVITIES IN SYDNEY. INVITATION TO ADMIRAL CHICHESTER. [FROM ot/r own CORRESPONDENT.] Sidney, June 17. It has been suggested in Melbourne that ■the Federal Government should specially invite to Australia for the visit of the American fleet Admiral Sir Edward Chichester, the British admiral whose determined attitude towards the German fleet at Manila restrained the Germans from interfering with the operations of Admiral Dewey at the Philippines in the Ameri-can-Spanish war. This suggestion is to be considered at a meeting of the Federal Giwernment Fleet) Reception Committee in Melbourne this afternoon, and if it be adopted, the Prime Minister will be asked to cable the invitation to England at once. The Roman Catholics of Sydney intend to give a reception to the American fleet. It, was announced by. Cardinal Moran, at a meeting of members of the Catholic body on Monday night, that as the Federal and State Governments — presumed as a matter of delicacy, or from a desire not to interfere with religious' scruples—had refrained from arranging anything for Sunday, August- 23, he had sent a telegram direct to the President of the United States us follows;

** Please approve -of admiral, officers, and men being enter!ained by Catholic body in Sydney on Sunday, August 23." On Saturday last he had received the following reply:— • . "Your kind invitation has been transmitted to Admiral Sperry. He has been directed to make suitable arrangements. A committee, representing the various parishes was formed, and it was agreed that a ladies' committee should also .be formed, with the Lady Mayoress as hostess, on behalf of the Catholic body. Subscriptions amounting to £150 were received in the room. It is suggested that the visitors should be entertained at a luncheon in the Town Hall, and taken down afterwards' to Manly, to the spacious grounds attached to the Cardinal's Palace and St. Patrick's College. The Cardinal announced that he would take upon himself the responsibility of the reception at the Palace at Manly. It has been decided by the Federal Government to present each of the 12,000 men in the fleet with an album containing 25 views of each of the States in the Commonwealth. This album will be engraved and printed at , the Government Printing Office in Sydney. Medallions of gilt are to be manufactured by a Melbourne firm, and one of these will also be presented to each of the Americans. The medallion, which will be about one inch in diameter, will have a blue enamel band round the face, and in the centre there will be a map of Australia. On the reverse side, in addition to this blue enamel band, there will be the Commonwealth seal, supported by the Union Jack and American ensign in colours. On the day of the arrival of the fleet at Sydney a" portion of the harbour will be set apart for excursion steamers to line up to allow those on board to witness the fleet as it passes. This space will extend from Bradley's Head to Middle Head, on the North Shore, and will run as far' across the harbour as the group of rocks known as the Sow and Pigs, opposite the entrance. Parsley Bay, Vauduse Bay, and Watson's Bay will be set aside for launches and other small vessels. The whole of. the water between Kirribilli Point and" Bradley's Head" on the northern side of the harbour, and from Garden Island to Shark Island on the southern side, will be allotted to the fleet. Additional berths have been reserved on the southern side. All the landing stages from Rose Bay to Farm Cove are to be placed at the disposal of the admiral. The Australasian Federated Steamship Owners' Association has appointed.Mr. J. L. Webb, director of Huddart, Parker, and Co., as its representative to arrange for a steamship welcome to the American fleet. Mr. Webb has not yet come to any decision as to what form this welcome will take. In order to assist the Commonwealth and State Governments to entertain the. visitors the committee of the Victoria Racing Club has decided to hold a race meeting at Flemington on Wednesday, September 2. Commander Pethebridge, Acting-Secre-tary of the Federal Defence Department, is to visit Auckland shortly to meet the American officer* at that port, in order to submit to Admiral Sperry, the programme for the reception in Australia. . Should the Admiral suggest any alterations, these will be cabled immediately to Colonel Miller, general manager of the reception arrangements in Melbourne and Sydney. Commander Pethebridge will return to Australia ahead of the fleet, which is to leave Auckland on August 15. ' . An offer from the theatrical managers in Sydney to give matinees during the visit of the fleet,' to which the Americans would be admitted free, has been received in such lukewarm fashion, that at a general meeting of the Citizens' Committee vesterday, Mr. J. C- Williamson, who had repeated the offer on various occasions, finally withdrew it in disgust. There was at once a storm of protest. It was not the Citizens' Committee that had been lukewarm over this generous offerit was the Government — and members suggested that they should "insist" upon the Government giving due recognition to.it, Mr. Milson was especially emphatic in his endeavours to induce Mr. Williamson to alter his decision, and, in fact, moved a motion to fix Tuesday afternoon for the matinee performances. But Mr. Williamson still said he would rather not. Such undertakings required some arrangement, but there did not seem to be any hope of getting anything done finally; and if the managers went on with their preparations, they would find, when all was ready, that there were none of the Americans available to go to the theatres, because of official fixtures. A proposal was made that the Government should be required to -book a number of seats for the men at 'each of the theatres on some of the evenings, but hero again Mr. Williamson protested against any action being taken. The managers had made a perfectly free offer- they did not seek for profits'; they were not looking for advertisement out of —he thought he hadjbeen in Sydney long enough not to require advertisement. "I am not going hat in hand," he declared: "if the Government want'thfe matinee let them find time for it, and let them come to us." The matter had better be dropped. ' And the matter was "dropped" accordingly; but, according to the Dailv Telegraph, it is more than likely to be picked up again when the Citizens' Executive Committee meets on Friday afternoon. There are about 100 applications for the position of organising secretary of the Citizens' Executive Committee in Sydney. The appointment is to bo made this afternoon. The secretary, when appointed, will be associated in Ills work with tho hon. secretary, Mr. Nesbitt, the town clerk, and will receive £10 per week.