AUCKLAND REQUEST DECLINED

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 65, 9 December 1938, Page 15

AUCKLAND REQUEST DECLINED

Centennial Procession DESIRE FOR NATIONAL STATUS An application by the Auckland Provincial Centennial Council for national status to be accorded Auckland’s proposed centennial procession and pageantry was declined by the National Centennial Council at its meeting in Wellington yesterday. In support of its application the Auckland council wrote — “The pivotal features of Auckland’s celebrations, all of which have been planned on lines without, parallel in other centres, are its pageantry (both indoor and outdoor), and its monster procession, both of which are designed to portray faithfully the outstanding events in New Zealand’s history. “Preliminary inquiries have established beyond reasonable doubt that, unless national status (divorced, of course, from financial commitment by the Government by way of subsidy or grant) is accorded to the procession and the pageantry, it will be impracticable to stage either, on lines commensurate with the importance of the occasion. National organizations and companies with headquarters in Wellington are not disposed to donate or sponsor floats in a procession which is purely provincial in character, and the same impasse arises in the case of floats applied for from overseas countries. With respect to indoor pageantry, the circumstances are almost parallel.” Processions in Other Centres. The mayor of Wellington, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, said Auckland was having what no doubt would be a very fine procession, but there might be equally fine processions in Christchurch and Dunedin. The council had already given national status to certain dates.

“We admire Auckland’s enterprize, but our good friends there seem to claim national status for nearly everything,” said the mayor of Dunedin, Mr. A. H. Allen. “I take my hat. off to Auckland, but I do think national events should be distributed throughout the Dominion. Wellington, ns the capital, is due for its share, and so are the South Island centres.” Mr. K. L. Usmar, representing the mayor of Auckland, said Auckland had not applied for national status for nearly everything. The only application had been made for the procession and pageantry. The mayor of Christchurch, Mr. R. M. Macfarlane, said he was concerned to see that firms supported their local centres. Government’s Attitude. The .Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Parry, said if there was going to be friction it would spell disaster, and he would be called upon by the Government to explain why it had 'been permitted. Mr. Hislop suggested that Auckland's application in its present form should be withdrawn. Wellington and other centres would be having processions, but were not asking for national status for them.

Mr. Usmar Unless we can get decent representation from national organizations, Government departments and Governments overseas we will be faced with the proposition of reconsidering the character of our whole programme and reorganizing it on provincial lines. Mr. Parry said he did not think Auckland would lose anything if national status were not granted. After further discussion the following motion was carried —“That the function of this council with regard to questions of status is restricted to celebrations and not to items thereof, and as the application is in respect to a specific item it be declined.”