The Star. SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 1902. THE NEW ZEALAND CELEBRATIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7434, 21 June 1902, Page 4

The Star. SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 1902. THE NEW ZEALAND CELEBRATIONS.

There appears to be a veiy commendable desire on the part of the people of New Zealand to make tbeir Coronation celebrations as worthy of the ocoasion as possible. Up to the present time the approaching ceremony has not created much enthusiasm here, a fact which is not altogether surprising. The past three years have been crammed with incidents calculated to rouse the feelings of the various sections of the British Empire, and the last of thess occurrred only a few weeks ago, when peace was declared in South Africa. It needs a particularly exciting event nowadays to wake the community out of the lethargy left as a legacy by the mental stimulants which it has absorbed during the last few years. "Under these circumstances New Zealanders may be acquitted from oay charge of disloyalty if they fail to grow rapturous over the prospect of even King Edward's Coronation. To most of them it »ay be said without disrespect to the Crown the ceremony means little more than an opportunity for taking a holiday. It lacks even the personal element which was aooountable for the note of enthusiasm sounded on the occasion of the visit of the Duke of York to New Zealand- this timo last year. It is not easy to work up much iervour over an incident {happening 13,000 miles away, unless there are features connected with that incident whioh of themselves are calculated to stir up excitement. This being the case, it is a matter for congratulation that tho people of the colony generally appear to have approached the task of celebrating the Coronation* in a most laudable and loyal spirit. From all sides comes the 6ound of preparation. Every city, town artd hamlet, from Van Dieman to the Bluff, is making arrangements to mark the event in somevjvay or other. Most of their efforts are in an entirely praiseworthy direction. Here and there perhaps there is a disposition to descend to absurdities or to put the subsidy granted to corporations by the Government to base uses, but on the whole there is very little fault to be found with the scheme's evolved by the various centres. Fine weather is aft that is now needed to make the celebrations in this part of the world as successful as it is possible for snob functions to be made.