THE ROYAL TOUR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21937, 22 October 1934, Page 6

THE ROYAL TOUR

SAILORS' SPECIAL DANCE SELECTION OF PARTNERS CONTROVERSY IN MELBOURNE [from our oira correspondent] SYDNEY. Oct. 16 A keen controversy lias been in progress in Melbourne regarding the organisation of a special dance, in connection with the Royal visit, for the benefit of 500 petty officers and men of H.M.S. Sussex, tho New Zealand warships Diomede and Dunedin, and the units of the Royal Australian Naval Squadron. The arrangements were carried out with the greatest secrecy and eventually it was announced that the 500 girls who had been invited had been told that they must agree to attend without escorts. Their dancing partners would be the petty officers and men of the fleet. The girls "would not meet their prospective partners until after they had entered the hall, and they would take their leave of them inside the hall in the presence of the matrons and assistant hostesses. Some very unpleasant things have been said in regard to this particular function, and some of the girls have tone so far as to ask that their names e removed from the list. The organisers, in reply, have stated that the idea is to entertain the men of the fleet, and there will be nothing about the ball to which any objection can be taken. The exclusion of the customary escorts is solely in the interests of the sailors. It is Melbourne's job to entertain the visitors, and it is urged that no objection can be raised if dancing partners are found for them. Careful Selection By Matrons The 20 matrons who were entrusted with the issue of invitations had made a very careful selection of the girls who had been invited. Similar functions had been held on other notable occasions, particularly on the occasion of the visit of the United States Fleet, and no exception could have been taken then to the behaviour of either the girls or the men. Melbourne, it was stated, could be assured that the chaperoning would be very strictly carried out. When the "Prince was in Perth a special dance was held for the officers at a place some distance from the city, and this, too, was attended by specially invited girls, who were told they must be unaccompanied by their usual escorts. Admission to that dance was by a special ticket containing a secret sign, with a password on the back. Tickets of a like ,nature are being issued for the Melbourne function, and already hundreds of applications have been refused. Arrangements for Dance The dance will begin at nine and will end punctually at 2 a.m. At 2 a.m. the. girls will be called upon to assemble with their particular hostesses and the men will be asked to leave the hall. The girls will then be taken home m special taxis. All the girls will be personally known to the matrons, and the organisers say that there will be no possible loopholes for any objectionable behaviour. The sailors will arrive -by motorbuses and will line up in groups in the foyer, each group being in the charge of a petty officer. Here, again, "gate crashers" will be detected, as the men will have special numbered tickets and will be allotted to certain groups for the initial partnering. For subsequent dances there will be no restriction as to partners.