COOK MEMORIAL

"I wish to ask whether it would not be possible to make some modification of the two purposes, book Memorial and Contingent Memorial," remarked Mr J. Q. Cox at the meeting of the Cook Memorial Committee yesterday afternoon. "I paid a visit to the Memorial the other week," j he continued, "and I was very pleased with everything. The only thing that • seemed regrettable was the fact that no less thun three-quarters of the memorial ■ are taken up with the contingents." Con. tinuing, Mr Cox said he had not the least bias on the matter. There were a few , of them who did not approve of that war, but the men who went forth it was only fair to assume went to South Africa from good motives, and deserved a memorial to themselves. The proportion of threefourths of the Cook Memorial was very great, «nd was crushing the original purpose on behalf of the Contingent Memorial. The Committee got the money from [ tine Government on the ground that it was I a Cook Memorial, and not a combined memorial. It was hardly just to the fiubscrtbers to carry on as they had been doing. He would like to ask the members whether something could not be done. There seemed to he, roughly speaking) two plans of getting over th*e difficulty. One would be to return the £150 to the Patriotic Committee and make the memorial entirely Cook's. Mr Kennedy : And the subsidy ? Mr Cox said the very least they could do was to retain one of the four sides for tlie Contingent, and the other tAVo sides should be filled m with bronze or marble tablets detailing the purpose of the Cook Memorial. It would not be fair to ignore the troopeis altogether, and Mr Oox suggested tbat a recommendation could be made to the Borough Council to erect a tablet containing their names. He look, od on his proposal tliat three- sides of the memorial should be devoted to the Cook Memorial, instead of three for the Contingent, as a matter of justice to the subscribers. The Mayor (Mi- Townley) hoped nothing of the kind proposed by Mr Cox would be done. The suggestion to put the names on was thoroughly threshed out. He was not aware there were so many names to go on, but now they had them 011 it was the greatest credit to the district that they had so many. At the time the men went no one knew what complications would come forth. The troopers went forth, like Cook, with their lives m their hands. He did not think the names detracted one 'iota from the fame of Captain Cook. Cook was an Emphe-builder, so were these men, and if tlie officers' names should be put there so should the privates'. It war only m the minds of a few that this objection existed. Captain Cook had the whole obelisk above his name, and he had the frontispiece devoted to his record. The two principles were intimately connected, and his Worship was not sure the men did not deserve a memorial to themselves, for they had luelped to secure a bigger piece for the Empire than New Zealand. He was sur. prised at a member bringing the matter up at this time. Mr Cox said when the matter was discussed previously he was not present, and when the late Mis Sievwriglit and lue brought the question up again they were told it could not be re-opened. It hud also not been thought then tliat the names would take up so much room. The Mayor said the Committee could not undo what they had done. Captain Cook came here and discovered a country, and the troopers went and fought for a country. He lioped the Committee would be united, and not reintroduce the subject on the occasion of tlie unveiling ceremony. Wlmt Mr Cox suggested would be an expensive thing, and under the circumstances would be foolish. The whole thing should .have come up before tlie names were on. IjooTv at the trouble the Committee had m fixing the site. If they liad taken the opinions of everyone the site would not have been fixed yet. People m the future would agree that the Committee did the right thing, m putting the names on. Mr Gaudht said that going back over tlie events of the last four years the people of Uisborne had no right to talk as they had. He had sent out hundreds of circulais, and the Committee had only got £30 or £40 locally. There was not one letter m the press that had the name of a subscriber to it. Mr F. Harris said Mr Joyce was a subscriber. Mr Gaudin said there was no chance of setting the money locally to replace the Patriotic Committee's donation. The Committee should go ou and take no notice of what was? said. The Okurman (Rev. H. W. Williams) said the Patriotic Committee's donation had been accepted, and the understanding was that at least £100 was to be devoted to a tablet containing the names of contingenters, so that the Committee had no alternative. On reference to the minutes it was shown that Mr Cox was present at tire meeting when it was decided to have the contingenters' tablet put on the memorial. The Chairman 6aid his personal view was that they sluould do away with the contingenters 1 tablet, but he considered tkit to di> this would throw the monument too far into the future. His idea of the troopers' tablet was that there was no necessity for it to occupy such a pro. minent position, and he had thought the names would have been put on the bases. Mr Kennedy : I am disappointed where the names are put. They should be placed on the bases and the obelisk left to Cook. Tlie Chairman said unfortunately he was confined to his house when the engraving was put on. and the man had consulted no one as to whei'e the names were to go. The" speaker was very, disappointed at the time that lie could not get out and see to the matter. The question now was that if "they chisselled the names off it would be a complete disfigurement, and they, had to face this. Captain Tucker said that if alterations were not to be thought of words would be thrown away. He thought Mr Cox, on the minutes themselves, had very good ground to say that the agreement come to had been altogether departed from. Mr Cox might well express great surprise that whereas the agreement was that a t.ibiet should be put on, m fact three tablets had 'been put on the monument. The Committee had drifted' into the position. Mr Kennedy said they thought it absolutely wrong that such a thing should have been done. It had been done inadvertently, and the Cliaiiman had not expressed himself strongly on tlie matter, knowing that it was always easy to be wise after the event. The Chairman : Mr Cox pute the question very fairh% and what he says is perfectly true. If you approach the memorial from three sides you see nothing of Cook at all. I- have allowed 1 the.discussion without a definite motion before vs. Mr ' Harris pointed out that when the Patriotic Committee's money was taken there were no funds coming m, and he for one was glad to get the amount. If people had come forward and helped the, Committee the matter would have been different. No doubt Cook planted the flag, but the troopers had helped to preserve it. Tlie Chairman : No doubt the kindest advice has come from tliose who have given us nothing else. In reply to Mr Harris, Mr Cox pointed out that people all over New Zealand subscribed to the Cook Memorial, whereas they were only getting; a quarter of the monument.,' The Mayor's comparison as to the adding of the Transvaal and Orange Free State to tlie Empire with New Zealand was particularly invidious, as no one had Questioned Cook's doings m New Zealand, but they hadi Sir H. Campbell Bannerman's opinion that tlie Boer war was an unjust one. Although it was a service to the Empire, and added to its wealth and strength, they regretted the circumstances vnder which it took place. After further discussion Mr Cox moved that the tablet on the monument be devoted to the contingents, and the remaining three to Cook. Mr Gaudin, m /seconding pro forma, said he would agree to the names being taken off\if people would' come forward and show that they had a strong objection to their being there. On the motion being put, it was lost, the mover alone voting for it. Captain Tucker said that while members agreed with Mr Cox's motion, to do what he suggested now was impracticable. . '