N.Z. CENTENARY

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 12419, 5 August 1938, Page 3

N.Z. CENTENARY

HISTORICAL ATLAS One of the features of the New Zealand Centennial Celebrations will be the historical publications and the Committee responsible for this work lias its preparations well in hand. The Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry, reviewing yesterday the work being done, especially with historical publications, and related projects as, for instance, an issue of stamps and commemorative medals, said that there had recently been a full meeting of -the National Historical Committee, and that unanimity had been reached on all major projects on which the Government had sought the Committee's advice. He was now able to say that our centennial year would be marked by the publication of a series of historical surveys covering the Dominion's progress during its first hundred years, a supplementary series of pictorial reviews featuring special aspects of our national life, a dictionary of New Zealand biography covering the life and work of all distinguished New Zealanders now dead, and a comprehensive historical atlas such as no Dominion had yet produced.

('hangcs in Committee ! Tlie Government deeply regretted that of the members of the National Historical Committee appointed last year two had already died; the Rt, Rev. Bishop Williams and Mr T. Lindsay Buick. In both it had lost valuable advisers and the members of the Committee collaborators whom it would he quite impossible to replace. The Committee had also for some months lost its Chairman, Mr James Thorn, M.P., who had gone to Geneva to represent the Government at the International Labour Conference, but his work was being ably carried on by the Deputy Chairman, Mr J. T. Paul, of Dunedin. A recent appointment to the Committee had been that of the Hon. F. Waite, M.L.C., as a representative of the farming interests. In addition certain gentlemen who had rendered valuable assistance in the preliminary work of the Committee had been appointed Associate Members. The list of these now included Dr. C. 10. Beeby, Wellington, Dr, F. A. Bett, Nelson, Mr F., G. Hall-Jones, Invercargill, Mr J. A. Mackay, Gisborne, Dr. W. McKay, Greymouth, Mr W. H. Skinner, New Plymouth, and the Surveyor-General, Mr H. 10. Walshe, Wellington. Work Taking- Shape

It would he remembered that tlie National Historical Committee had met first about this time last year. Since that meeting an organisation had gradually been built up under the supervision of the Standing Committee. Representative Historical Committees had been formed in each provincial centre and in certain districts affiliated local committees had been set up in smaller centres. The sub-committees of the National Committee itself had carried on their discussions either at meetings or, where membership was scattered, by means of correspondence.

The Standing Committee had met frequently to transact routine business, to discuss questions of policy as they had arisen, and to consider the reports of sub-committees. Also, a small staff had been formed by the Department of Internal Affairs to handle preparatory and research work connected with publications, to carry out secretarial duties and to provide historical data required by other parts of the Centennial organisation. The members of this staff were now fully employed, and were doing excellent work. Historical Atlas One project in wdiich the Government was especially interested, as he was sure the public would be, was the publication during the Centennial of an Historical Atlas. Consideration of this project had been referred to a special committee, at first under the chairmanship of Professor Rutherford, of Auckland, and later under the Surveyor-General, Mr H. E. Walshe, and the plan of wdiich the Government had finally approved was something like this. The first section of the Atlas would contain a brief chronology ot New Zealand history, descriptive essays on physical and geological features on the flora and fauna, and on mapmaking in general. The second section would illustrate sea and land exploration, Maori tribal life, the course of European settlement, communications, etc. The third w'ould be a new r series of New r Zealand maps, 10 miles to the inch, wdth supplementary maps illustrating climate, land development, our social and cultural life, and so on. This was an ambitious project, as the Government w 7 as fully aware, but it was a very important one, and, he was sure, very attractive.