THE ROYAL VISIT

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4331, 15 April 1901, Page 4

THE ROYAL VISIT

Reading cf the OpWs arrival at CoU mbo, we realise that the time tor receiving- the Royal visitors is drawing near It is, in fact, now understood that’ they will reach New Zealand on Ih-' 17th of June, and that they mil ho .here some ten days, leaving it on the 07th of the same month. It 1.. pleasant. to i feel that the ' preparations are ni a 1 forward state, for it would he contrary 1 to tlm iitne.-s 01 things if »»•«■* colony which too’: the lead in inviting, 1110.1 Koval Highness C-s were ouiilonc- j» rue essential "matter of preparation. Tlu Government suggasted the Royal visit at, the opening of the session of 188<. m Scptombor —the unusual lateness of the occasion being duo to the absence 0« the Right Hon the Premier in London, tnking°part in the celebrations of the Record Reign. Both Houses of Parliament taking up the idea cordially, an invitation was sent in the November following. It was, after an acknowledgment in terms worthy of the occasion, and most emphatic in their recognition of the loyal .spirit in which the invitation was issued, declined in courteous laufeuaso. But the, fact remains that Noli- Zealand took the lead in this matter of unique Importance. Tim question was revived later/ when the establishment of the Australian Commonwealth affdrded an occasion correspondingly grejit. Of . that opportunity our Government and Parliament promptly took advantage, with the result that we are now in the midst of the preparations for) the arrival of the Royal guests on the-17th of. June..

In the matter of the Royal', .visit it i s itmlerstood that the Governor of the colony occupies a special position. He ij the appointed Executive Imperial officer' in charge of the proceedings, not the Governor who cannot act without tho prompting of his responsible advisers.) In that capacity he did not see his I way to approve of the programme originally proposed hy the citizens, and naturally, the committee who were actuated by the best motives of loyalty, were somlewhat- disappointed. l.prd Ranfm-ly. who, no doubt, has knowledge of the wishes of the. Duke and Duehcs.v generally r.bont the details, must, have felt himself at first in n ■somewhat '• difficult " position, as, of course, he could have had no desire to rim i counter in any way to the' wishes of tho representative committee. Happily, ,a’ way was found out of the difficulty, and the: route of the procession has been curtailed, 1 without .seriously diminishing the opportunities of (ho citizens for the display of their loyalty. The citizens will get all they can von* sonably want by the inclusion of the best part of Culm street in the procession, while Lord Eanfuiiy secures a. straigbter road fronii Ghnznee street into the heart of the city. Tho difficulty may reasonably be sai.il. to have been got over,to, the satisfaction of all parties. , ~

The time at. the disposal of our Royal guests is short,' but, its’ length is fairly proportionate to' the periods allotted to the other parts of the Empire. We should like to have shown them all the picturesque portions of our very picture,‘Apie country. We could have given the Duke .some of tho best doer stalking iu the world, and we could have provided him with trout fishing of a kind not to be had anywhere else. We could have {furnished 1 him, likewise, with other forms of sport. It would have been a pleasure, in short, to have done for him, “rautatis mutandis,” what was done for his father by the Government of India, and by the feudatory princes of the Peninsula'bn the"occasion of his visit to that country «oine . thirty years ago; and, without doubt, the son would have enjoyed the experience quite as much; What it would have meant to the colony in the way of profitable introduction to the notice of sportsmen and sightseers it needs no ghost to tell us. It would have been mutually beneficial, too, if we cdiild have added to the travels of the Duke and Duchess within our trips to the heart of the Southern Alps, .and if we could have shown them; the splendid forests, the lower glaciers, and the fiords of the West Coast of the South Island. But these-things are, of course,' impossiolc, for the .simple reason that the Duke and Duchess cannot spend several months in eacn colony,-a. stay which must he the outcome of any prolongation of their visit to a single one of the group'. Tito winter season, moreover, makes any Alpine tour impossible,, and travelling on the -West Coast difficult, in the absence of 'suitable accommodation. -But it is different with the Southern Lakes. They are witliin easy reach hy rail from Dunedin, and the vast bodies' of water they contain-greatly mitigate the. rigours of tho winter season iu their immediate neighbourhood- At the same time, the mountains about them are at their best with their great snow fields extended by the winter falls. Moreover, by taking the train to Invercargill, the Royal party, in its journey southward, would gain twelve hours on the Ophir’s course. Taking this gain of time into account, there is reason.fo believe that hy adding not more than a few.-hours to the- stay of .the Royal party in the colony their knowledge of its scenery and their pleasure could he greatly enhanced. Lastly, if the Ophir could be piloted into the southern Rounds before leaving thr/ coast, the time would Be eminently iroll spent. To pass, without seeing them, so near to scenes unparalleled in the Southern Hemisphere, and for which no other opportunity may he afforded our Royal visitors, seems a pity. It may be possible for Lord Rahfurly to suggest 'to-the'Dlit’eTand Duchess of, York the inclusion of Lake Wakatipu and tho Sounds in their southern tour, so- that our visitors may carry away an ini. pression of the scenic beauties; of this country.