17 JULY 1964, Page 11

Malawi I am not very experienced in cabling date- line

•stories from faraway places, but the press arrangements for covering the Independence celebrations in Malawi were so admirable that the chore was a simple one. 'Indeed, all the arrangements could scarcely have been improved on. Malawi did herself, and the world, proud. I talked to several delegates who were attending their fifth or sixth Independence ceremony. None of them could recall such smooth efficiency. This was partly, no doubt, because the vast crowds that could have swamped Blantyre and Zomba did not appear. And this in turn was due to the insistent plea (command is perhaps a more accurate word) of Dr. Banda that there should be dignity at the time of Independence, and that the people of Malawi should celebrate in their own villages.

Much of the credit goes to two of Malawi's ablest Ministers: Mr. Chiume, who was in general charge of the arrangements, and Mr. Orton Chirwa, who is both Minister of Justice and Attorney-General. Mrs. Chirwa hopes to follow in her husband's footsteps. She is now studying for the British Bar examinations.