CENTENNIAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 156, 3 July 1936, Page 5

CENTENNIAL.

MINISTER'S APPEAL. PRIDE li\l ACHIEVEMENT. LETTER TO MAYORS. "It is the sincere desire of the Government that the people of New Zealand should, in the centennial, commemorate the first 100 years of our national life in a spirit of just pride in our achievement and of reverence for the pioneers of both settlement and Government. Further, the Government desires that the celebrations should be widespread, and that every community in the Dominion should, in some appropriate form, take part in them." The passage quoted is from -a letter the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. 15. Parry, has sent to the Mayors of old provincial capitals in" the Dominion. The Minister's communication (states the "iJom:n;on") goes on to state that at the meeting of the National Centennial Committee held at Wellington on June 18 there were unanimously passed, among other resolutions, the following: (a) -"That the Government lie recom- j mended forthwith to mvite the Mayor of each provincial capital to convene as early as conveniently may be a representative conference of local bodies and other organisations within the province for the purpose of forming a provincial centennial organisation, and that for the purpose of this resolution the East Coast (Poverty Bay) district of the North Island- be deemed a separate province." (1>) "That the Government convene on Thursday, August 20, a Dominion conference of delegates of provincial centennial organisations, each to be represented by not more than four delegates." In a letter to the Mayor of Wellington the Minister says: "I should be glad if, as Mayor of ail old provincial capital, you could see your way to convene, at as early a date as.may be convenient, a conference for the purpose of setting up a provincial centennial council for Wellington. It is desired that the conference shall be as fully representative as possible, to the end that Wellington will be in a position fittingly to take its part in the celebrations * of 15)40. Local authorities and other public

bodies, and, indeed, all organised institutions representing every phase (including the amenities) of economic and social life within the province, and prominent individuals could appropriately be invited to attend the conference. Local Committees, "It is suggested that the provincial conference should, inter alia, discuss the question of local committees in suitable localities in the province, with a view to their being set up under the guidance and control of the provincial council when (constituted. "With reference to the second of the two resolutions quoted, the appointment of delegates to the Dominion conference is a matter that can be dealt with either by the provincial conference or the provincial council. Proceedings at the Dominion conference will be greatly facilitated if provincial delegates come to Wellington with a general idea of the views of the people of their respective provinces with regard to their local celebrations and memorial. An Interprovincial exchange of these ideas will be a material step toward that co-operation and co-ordination which will be so essential to the success of the centennial. "While in no way desiring to limit your complete freedom in the matter of procedure at the proposed provincial conference, it is suggested that, after making reference to this letter, you •might, with advantage, state the decisions of the Government as outlined in my opening address to the national committee on June 18." East Coast District. With regard to the East Coast district, the Minister has written the Mayor of Gisborne as follows: "From the first of the two resolutions of the National Centennial Committee quoted in that letter you will see that the committee decided to recognise as a separate provincial district for the purpose of centennial organisation that part of the Auckland Province comprised in the East Coast district. I have therefore to extend to you an invitation to convene a conference on the lines indicated in that letter for your district which can most conveniently, T think, he taken as comprising the borough of Gisborne. the counties of Cook, Waikohu. Uawa, Waiapu and Matakaoa, and the town districts of Patutahi, Te Karaka and Manga pa. '"In suggesting the separate identity of the East Coast, the national committee was guided not merely by the fact of the district having little general community of interest with the' rest of Auckland province, but particularly by its rich and individual historical associations."