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Fabulous Prices Asked
for Coronation Seats
. "The Age" Special Correspondent.
/LONDON, November 16. — Letters received by Aus
tralian State Agents-General in London show that Coronation
seats and living accommodation" are being offered to Aus
tralian and overseas visitors at fabulous Drices, despite state-
ments to the contrary by the British Coronation Committee.
Prices range from 45
guineas for two seats on
the Coronation route and
organised sight-seeing
trips to 1100 guineas for
two weeks' accommoda
tion for two people, two
seats in a luxury apart
ment on the route of the
Coronation procession
with breakfast and lunch
and a running cham
pagne buffet all day and
the use of a car.
Also offered are ser
viced flats and seats . on
the route for 500 guineas
a month.
The Agent General for
New South Wales (Mr.
John Tully) said yester
day:
"I received some of
these scandalous offers
and immediately replied
that not many Austra
lians would be interested
at those prices.
"The Coronation com
mittee says these, extra
vagant offers are not be
ing made to overseas
visitors, but here is
proof of it."
The Queensland Agent
General (Mr. Muir) has
received similar offers.
Sources in touch with
Coronation circles say
it is still possible that
the Coronation proces
sion route could be al
tered and, therefore,
some seats being offered
in building's in the pre
sent route might be
come useless.
A letter accompanying
one extravagant offer de
scribes what is offered as
"quite reasonable," and
says that, although ac
commodation and seats
could quite easily be sold
to American visitors, it
would be preferred if
they wore taken by
people from the Do
minions as the Corona
tion was a Common
wealth occasion.
A committee to co-or
dinate offers of private
hospitality to Common
wealth visitors at the
Coronation has been
formed.
The chairman is Sir
Harry Batterbee, who
was British High Com
missioner in New Zealand
during the war, and
political secretary to
King George VI on his
tour of Australia and New
Zealand as Duke of York.
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