The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1927. THE END OE THE TOUR.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 19 March 1927, Page 8

The Timaru Herald FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1927. THE END OE THE TOUR.

Seven days hencei the Duke and Duchess of York make their bow to Australia, and Sydney has declared a public holiday in honour of the visit. .Within a few hours our Royal visitors will take their departure from these hospitable shores, and very soon the pleasant experiences, of the last, month will be hut happy memories. Strong resentment is being felt in Australia., however, in connection with the arrangements made in connection with the official call the Imperial Ambassadors, are to make. “it is a parade of State Capitals and Canberra,” the Melbourne “Herald” savs.

Country interests and even provincial centres are for the most part entirely neglected. i-eat producing communities are ignored, and, even in State capitals, exclusive, instead :f popular functions' are paramount When Government. Houses, and Federal and State Parliaments are eliminated from the programme there is little left. Several of these engagements, which are designed to enable a few to do themselves proud, could he cut out.” The

“Herald” adds that the Royal visitors will barely arrive at the Flemington race meeting’ before ihat have, to leave. “The probability is,” say the critics, “that the Duke and Duchess will become so heartily sick of the solemn antics of the few people they will he permitted to. see that they will go away with the secret impression that Victoria is a State peopled only by elected persons, their families and friends, and that nothing exists outside Melbourne hut. a strip of road to a. place called Ballarat. The whole programme is a grave disappointment to the people of Australia, and requires drastic overhaul.'” The newspaper critics hit hard in Australia ! The “Sydney Sun” said at the Duke is likely m carry away with him from New South Wales an impression of a land peopled by brass bauds, hoy scouts, merchants in dress suits, diticians, Lord Mayors without robes, people who. stand about in the streets to see Dukes pass, guards of honour, flags, and Governors. Australia., of course, is not like that. Officialdom is the smallest part of its life, and to send away the Duke with tire

upression which he cannot help receiving is a stultification of the whole visit, both from his point of view and from that of the Australian people. Commenting on the New Zealand tour of the Royal visitors, one Australian journal said :

i) T ew Zealand will do the thing far better. He will see the whole of the two Islands, and visit almost every town of importance during his visit. Auckland will only hold him two days before he begins sight-seeing, with a little fishing. He will stay four days at Wellington, and three at Dunedin. All the rest of the time he will be visiting the smaller towns.

If we allowed him to see Newcastle, Bathurst, Goulburn, Katoomba, Wollongong, the North Coast, with all its towns and rivers, we would be doing more what New Zealand has done, and better for him and for Australia.

Tn New Zealand, not only will lie obtain an idea of the country, which is part of his object in visiting it, but he will give the, people of the country an opportunity of seeing him. All that very many people of New South AVales will see of him will be the reports of his official visits and lunches and dinners and addresses. From, all points' of view, the tour of the Royal visitors has been a. memorable one. The ■Duke and Dnchess in the North Island and the Dnke “carrying 1 on” alone in the South Island, quickly Avon their way into the hearts of the people. Imperial sentiment and zeal were inspired, the mutual love which holds the peopled to the Throne was manifested, and the invisible tie ot kinship which holds the Commonwealth of free and enli'g-ht-ened together in one bond of 'lily g-ave a new inspiration to the hundreds of thousands of potential citizens who cheered ihe Royal visitors, and which warmed the hearts of maturer people with pride: of race, and gave new nimbus to forces

hieh are working- for the consolidation of the loosely-held confederation of Rritish peoples. Reluctantly New, Zealand says good-bye to our Royal guests, and we wish them ' a plca.sn.nt .journey over the seas. The public-spirited citizens who organised the tour, and the* Royal Ambassadors ’who undertook the exacting and onerous duties involved were inspired hv a lofty idealism and actuated by a far-seeing desire to draw closer the bonds ’ of kinship which alone can preserve the hitish Empire from disruption, and give .the new commonwealth of nations that strength of character and unity of sentiment which furnish humanity with the most potent peace-making* influence the world has ever known.