9
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
PELL C.O. 885
21 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
8
Message from the King to His people.
42. The text of a letter from the King to His people was telegraphed to the Colonies on the 7th of August, 1902. See Circular Despatch 7th August, 1902.
Phonographic Message.
A phonographic message was suggested by New Zealand. The suggestion was not adopted.
Honours.
43. Governors were invited by Circular despatch of the 17th February, 1902, to submit recom mendations, and an effort was made to secure that as many Colonies as possible should be represented in the honours lists.
Coronation Medals.
44. The Colonial distribution lists of Coronation Medals included the Prime Ministers and the Crown Colony Representatives, together with the lady, if any, accompanying each; the Sultan of Perak Lewanika; Governors on leave in London for the Coronation; certain Colonial Ministers and other distinguished visitors; the Permanent Under Secretary of State; the Private Secretary to the Secretary of State; the Agente-General; the Crown Agents; the Colonial Military Contingents; the Office Keeper; and two Messengers.
Finance.
45. The Coronation expenses of 1902 were provided for under Class VII, Vote 4 of the Civil Services Estimates, 1902–3 and were accounted for by the Treasury, and not by the Colonial Office.
Page 527 of the Appropriation Accounts 1902-3 shews that the total expenses were £124,750 78. 4d., and that the Colonial Office share of this sum was £13,044 198. 10d.
For the Colonial Office expenses Sir William Baillie Hamilton was a sub-accountant of the Treasury. An advance of £6,000 was applied for officially in the first instance, but afterwards he presumably applied to that Department for advances as he required them from time to time.
Postponement of the Cormation.
46. The arrangements described above were in some cases considerably modified owing to the postponement of the Coronation and the changes consequent thereon.
E. W.
August 25th, 1910.
Confidential.
APPENDIX B.
One of our greatest difficulties is going to be the allocation of places for the Coronation and the various attendant ceremonies.
In 1902, 300 seats were allotted in the Abbey for the actual ceremony, and no doubt the same number can be allotted this time.
We ought, if possible, to get more. There will be more visitors, apart from direct representatives, from the Union of South Africa, and it also seems desirable that all the Dominions should be allotted a few more rather than a few less seats.
But it is outside the Abbey that our difficulties will be greatest.
In 1902, 4,200 seats for the Coronation Procession and 5,000 for the Royal Progress were allotted to the Colonial Office at a cost of 10s. per seat.
This included the seats on the stand outside this Office (about 250 or so, I believe).
The total number of seats which can be made available will (I understand from Sir F. Hopwood) be some 5,000 less than in 1902. Owing to the alterations in the Parks stands can only be put up to hold about 12,000 instead of 17,000. (I am not sure if these figures are absolutely accurate, but it does not matter whether they are or not. In any case about 5,000 less seats will be available.)
The first suggestion that occurs to me is that it should be a matter for consideration whether additional space cannot be taken for stands; but even if this is impracticable-and very likely for the actual Coronation Procession it may be sc-it seems most undesirable that we should have any less seats at our disposal than last time.
I think we should aim at securing 5,000 seats to witness the actual Coronation Procession, and should make 4,500 our irreducible minimum. We could appease the disappointed with seats for the Progress, and get 6,000 or 7,000 of these.
It should also be made perfectly clear from the start that we must have a proportionate number
of seats for all ceremonies in connection with the Coronation apart from the actual Procession and Royal Progress, e.g., for military and naval reviews, &c. (if any),
Again it would be best, I think, to make it clear from the start that for functions which are purely by invitation-e.g., State Balls, Foreign Office or India Office Parties, Gala Performances at the Opera, Garden Parties, &c.,-there will be an altogether unusual number of Colonial visitors, whom it will be essential or politie to invite.
It appears to me that it is questionable whether all the seats allotted to the Colonial Office for witnessing the Coronation and other ceremonies should be paid for. Apart from the 300 or so whom we hope to provide for in the Abbey, there will, no doubt, be many hundreds of other distinguished visitors who would be gratified if they were given complimentary seats, and would regard themselves- perhaps not unreasonably-as being cavalierly treated if they were asked to pay. But the question is not free from all difficulty, for, if we do give any tickets free, where are we to draw the line? suppose-assuming that we have either 500 or 1,000 free tickets-it should be possible to distribute them in the same proportion as we distribute the paying seats, but the local authorities in the Dominions should have a say in the matter, and the distribution should not be left to the discretion of the Agents-General.
I
The cost of the free tickets would fall ultimately on the Imperial taxpayer-but I think it would be worth while to increase our share in the cost of the Coronation by £250 or £500 for this purpose.
In 1902 the total expenses were about £125,000, and the C.O. share about £13,000.
It would be much appreciated throughout the Office if the stand which will no doubt be erected in Whitehall, with sitting accommodation for about 250, could be reserved for members of the Office, ex-members and their friends. The number of seats that could fairly be allotted to Colonial visitors would be nugatory-and no doubt, in any case, a good many of the seats will be given by members of the office to Colonial visitors. These seats will have to be charged for, probably 108. a head.
September 5th, 1910.
T. C. M.
If there is to be a progress all through the town, East End, &c., it should surely be possible to erect stands to hold a
host for that day's ceremony.
10
APPENDIX (.
STATEMENT AS TO MILITARY CONTINGENTS, 1902.
NUMBERS INVITED.
Number of
Horser
Officers for entire
Place.
all ranks not
provided for.
to exceed.
Contingent limited to.
Canada
580
300
1 Colonel, 2 Majors.
1 Adjutant. Officers in
ratio of 3 per 100 men.
Commonwealth of Australiu
580
300
Do.
New Zealand
150
150
+
Cape
150
150
4
Natal
100
100
3
Ceylon
1.00
25
Hong Kong
75
Straits and Federated Malay States
100
Jamaica
100
Proportion of 3 per 100
Trinidad
men.
100
25
British Guiana
75
Bermuda
25
N.C.Os. and Mer.
Rhodesia
Sierra Leone and Gambia
Gold Coast...
Lagos
Northern Nigeria
Southern Nigeria...
Fiji (Police)
Cyprus (Zaptiehs)
****** 22
32
(if own ponies
21
not brought.)
25
• Invitation declined.
'British North Borneo Co. (Borneo Armed Police)
THE APPROXIMATE NUMBERS SENT WERE:-
Colony.
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
Fiji
Cape
Natal
Rhodesia
South African Constabulary
Ceylon
Hong Kong
--
Straits and Federated Malay States
British North Borneo...
Jamaica...
Trinidad
British Guiana...
Bermuda
Sierra Leone
Gambia...
Gold Coast
Lagos
Northern Nigeria
Southern Nigeria
Malta
Cyprus
Uganda
Weihaiwei"
St. Lucia
1
1
I
1
L
1
(band also if desired.)
1
1
1
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