THE CENTENARY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22398, 20 October 1934, Page 16

THE CENTENARY

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS (From Orb Own Correspondent. 1 MELBOURNE, October 10. After months of ardent preparation Melbourne is now almost ready to begin its great centenary celebrations. This week the city has been busy putting on its centenary dress, and the scheme of decoration is on such a scale of magnificence that it is bound to gain the admiration of thousands of visitors, who are already pouring into the city by boat and train. Most of the distinguished guests, including Lord Milne and the Poet Laureate (Mr John Masefield), have already arrived, and the people are now eager to greet the Duke of Gloucester, whose arrival next week will be the signal for a remarkable display of enthusiasm and loyalty. Never before has any city prepared for an event on such a grand scale as Melbourne has done on this occasion. The official opening of the celebrations is fixed for October 18, but wil} continue for months with great conferences, religious gatherings and sporting events that will be on a scale never before attempted in Australia. Melbourne has long been faced with the problem of accommodating all its visitors, and the whole of the hotels have been fully booked for some months. The shipping companies have come to the aid of the organisers, and many of the liners which are making special trips to Melbourne will be used as floating hotels. Passengers, on the Maheno, due from New Zealand on November 4, will not have io leave the vessel and seek accommodation elsewhere. Special liners will go from Sydney during Cup Week, and the passengers will sleep and eat on board. For the Eucharistic Conference two ships specially chartered from Nejv Zealand will reach Melbourne on November 28.

Twelve men-of-war, flying the flags of four different nations and three dominions of the British Empire, will be in port this month. The escort to H.M.S, Sussex, on which the Duke of Gloucester travelled to Australia, will consist of five ships of the Royal Australian Navy, and these will be joined off the Victorian coast by the two members of the New Zealand unit, the Dunedin and the Diomede. The Royal India Marine sloop Hindustan, with eight officers and 120 men, is due at Melbourne this week. All the crew are Indians. The foreign warships to visit Melbourne during the celebrations are U.S.S. Augusta, carrying the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Asiatic Squadron (Admiral Upham), the Italian cruiser, Amandio Diaz, and the French sloop, Admiral Chamer. The Italian boat is one of the most powerful 'ships in the Italian Navy, and will leave Melbourne for New Zealand on November 12. Melbourne will extend generous hospitality to the 5000 sailors who will join in the celebrations.