CENTENARY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 143, 18 June 1936, Page 7

CENTENARY.

GOVERNMENT PLANS

£250,000 TO BE SPENT.

PROPOSED CELEBRATIONS

A NATIONAL MEMORIAL.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, this day

Policy decisions of the Government in its preparations for the celebration of New Zealand's centenary in 1940 were placed before the National Centennial Committee by the chairman, the Hon. W. Parry, Minister of Internal Affairs, to-(lay. The Government, he said, had decided that the event should be celebrated by: (1) Permanent memorials, including a national memorial to be erected by the Government; (2) a series of historical surveys of the first 100 years of New Zealand's national life; (3) suitable celebrations, both national and local, throughout 1940. Apart from the cost of a national memorial and historical surveys, lie said, the Government contemplated providing £250,000 for the celebrations. On the question of permanent memorials, Mr. Parry said the Government would provide the cost of and erect a permanent national memorial. Further 'than that he could not go at present. The form of the memorial was under consideration by the Government, and an announcement would be made in due course. The Government would make provision for the subsidising of moneys raised locally for memorials disapproved. A national committee would be set up at an early date to go fully into the .question of historical surveys. He visualised a series of works l>y the most competent authorities in New Zealand on every phase of our national life, written, moreover, for general reading as well as for the purposes of a historical record. Plan of Celebrations. N As to the actual celebrations, he divided these into five classes, as follows: — (1) Celebrations of events of national importance at places where the events actually occurred. The signing of the Treaty o*f Waitangi at Waitangi and the proclamation of sovereignty over the South Island at Akaroa were quoted to illustrate what he meant. (2) Purely local celebrations. This section, he said, was divisible into (a) particular local events," and (b) general celebrations in honour of the centenary. (3) Maori celebrations. (4) An exhibition at Wellington. „ (5) Special attractions for overseas visitors. In regard to the expenditure of £250,000 mentioned above, the Minister said that this provided up to a maximum of £75,000 as a loan and subsidy for the exhibition at Wellington and the balance would be for national celebrations held by the Government itself or by provincial organisations on behalf of the Government and' the subsidising on a £1 for £3 basis of moneys raised locally for local celebrations or memorials. In addition' to the above, the Government would bear the cost of suitably entertaining guests from abroad invited by the Government, and uwould also, between now and 1940, suitj ably increase the vote to the Tourist 'and Publicity Department for advertising abroad and for providing special tourist attractions. Wellington Exhibition.

In regard to the Wellington exhibition, Mr. Parry said that the Government concurred in the view that the exhibition should be held in Wellington. The Wellington committee fathering the proposal visualised a company with £300,000 capital. To that the Government had no objection. The committee, however, asked the Government for assistance to the extent of £100,000 by a grant and £50,000 by way of share capital. Frankly, he said, it was impossible for the Government to consider financial help on such a scale as that in view of the very large sum it would have to provide in connection with other celebrations and national and local memorials. What the Government was prepared to do once the company was formed was to make a loan free of interest, not exceeding £25,000, and to provide a subsidy of £1 for £"2 of the subscribed share capital, up to a limit of £50,000. It must not be forgotten, he pointed/but, that whatever financial help the Government gave would not be the full extent of the Government's exhibition expenditure. It cost the Government of the day £30,000 for the Government's courts and exhibits at the Dunedin exhibition, and if the Wellington exhibition was on the same scale at least that amount would be required in 1940.