CITIZENS' WELCOME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18707, 13 May 1924, Page 10

CITIZENS' WELCOME.

"AT HOME" AT TOWN HALL. s■: -V V T>, ■'■'Sc/ :-v," ' A MEMORABLE GATHERING. i ,v . ' One ,of ib'i moat '.notable functions - in connection with Auckland's welcome to the Special Service Squadron took place at ... the Town Hall ' last r evening, when the J - , Mayor and ' Mayoress, • councillors . and , citizens, tendered an, "At i Home" to : the -i • city's guests.": r Over 2000 ; _ - Were present, ! and > the: gathering was one Df the most 1 ' brilliant and ' enjoyable of the-kind ever hold in "Auckland.* ,' §Sg| The guests|' of honour f included« Their V ?au« - Excellencies Lord I and . Lady Jellicoe, . *the-, ; Hon., Lucy,: Jellio»e, Vice-Admiral Sir • t-Frederick- Field,; Rear-Admiral Sir Hubert K rt ~; ' . Brand, " the Prime «liiijiflter s '-Mr> W. F. > Mkssey :and ,to A .thema ; large > numbed of guests' were presented during the evening. v The scene whon the Vice-Regal" party pffifll fend officers arrived ? was t a memorable one,; % j the , entire gathering-, rising and singing; ;| | the National Anthem, to the strains of ■>-'' - 'he i great , organ. Other • functions of the > -vYkind* there have been in the Town 'Hall, but the 'fact that #30 ; many distinguished , r tuembers pi. one of the, most distinguished •ervices in ihe f-world I were v present,! lent I //' S last evening's .'gathering; a significance and gepth of interest all 0) its * own. ,C The presented beautiful spectacle, the decorations including ; several novel features, .. which, with tha • general effect I§Sgt pi sylvan beauty, made a -most picpUslif luresque setting for the rich evening gowns of. the . ladies , and blue-and-gold of [he naval 'full dress. -The entrance to the -hall was embowered in palms,and lycopo(0! V ! '£ Sium, with cunningly-driven red and. - rreen lights/ giving; a rich glow of colour fef?;sV-s<)v ; the scene. There was a simplicity v | Ibout the interior decorations which was 11| m lelightful to the eye, the. main feature, in tn attractive colour scheme, being the three X pendant chandelier chains ablaze s with >range lights, and < twined about with iyco|>Gdiuxn. The same scheme of decoration |?as used § for the adornments of the gal'V' lery, ' which was festooned l with greenery, glfl farther adornment being provided by iparkling violet lights ana handsome nikau palms, set' at intervals round - .the balusirade. Down in the body of the hall were set .'V., frcat'/bowls/of -■ golden chrysanthemums tud . salvia, while >. in one 1 corner • was : a lelightful? little . rustic scene that in; itself . iras a triumph ,of the decorator's art. > It; vas a representation, of a tiny- waterSail, the water flowing over a wall of rock jlpfej? nft a most realistic woodland s pool, set I ||g ritb tall ferns and decked with waterpies. The whole thing was a most de'ghtfut and original little touch of «alism in'the general scheme of decora- , The stage presented a beautiful ' ,2? "J® entire : front; was 'arranged as a lelino* i °>? e orchids, which raised their » ! ?M?F&)aclsJ^.n l ß 2¥ e ?iig rn petals against a , 'r • ddi ately I' £ , woodland ' green. > Im ". dnv S-M\ n d .the orchid bed was a '"d behind thL? With rU^ y lighli ' c- ±n& | 4jh m»ch to || gathering.- r ; s of