WANTED-VISION

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 36, 11 August 1927, Page 10

WANTED-VISION

CANADA TO THE FORE

N.S.W. STATE MEMORIAL

A correspondent, signing himself as "H. M. Private," writes as follows to "The Post" in support of Mr, Walter Fell's letter in last night's issue criticising the authorities for their want of vision in regard to the Mount Cook scheme for combining (1) the National War Memorial, (2) the Dominion Art Gallery, (3) the National Museum, and (i) tho War Memorial Carillon and erecting the whole of them in one group of buildings on that Bite:—. "I was much gratified to read in tonight's paper Mr. Walter Fell's letter under the above heading. It seems to me that ho has hit the nail right on tho head—our Government certainly is lacking in vision; and I propose to cite tho following examples in support of his case:—

' 'Firstly, let me turn to Canada. Tho New Zealand Parliament Buildings were aostroyed by fire away back somewJiero in 1908. Tho Canadian Parliament Buildings at Ottawa were similarly destroyed by fire in 1917, some ten years later. Some years ago the first half of our new Parliament Buildings was completed; not a stone has been added to them since, and last year it was announced that the building of the second half had been postponed indefinitely, may be, for many years hence. The new Canadian Parliament Buildings, on the other hand, have been completed in their entirety, and now has been added the crowning feature of the whole—tho magnificent Tower of Victory with its sublime Memorial Chamber, symbolising Canada's history and dedicated specially to the 60,000 sons of Canada who gave their livea for King and Country in the Great war. It is thus that Canada expresses her soul, and as the recitals on her noble carillon crowning the Tower of Victory are broadcast the whole of Canada listens in, and ao the nation is galvanised together. This is an illug. tration in nation-building, which is an example to the whole world. "But what of New Zealand, Sir? Can anyone take a. pride in our new Parhament Building, which is only half, completed? And where is our Kational Memorial? For some years after tho ™P"li*11' regularly p i ac? a a vote of £100,000 on the Estimates for tho erection of this as a national tribute to the splendid record of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. In the latter years of the Massey Administration, and even since during the Coatos regime, this national mark of appreciation has been entirely overlooked. Can « C^Sai^ that this is deliberate, and that the Government has no intention of going on with it! Surely not! Yet when a deputation waited upon the Government somo time ago and requested that the National Memorial be included in the Mount Cook scheme so as to give it a proper setting, what reply did the Government give? It carefully avoided all reference to the National Memorial.

™" lt nis to have to compare Canada's attitude ivith this- Yet we aro rather inclined at timea to "lay the flattering unction to onr souls that we are superior to Canada in our loy. alty, au d as being 98 p O r cent. British. It i» very questionable whether we are when we read of such notable mile, stones m national history and feeling B8 have been consecrated in Canada*™!

fcouth Wales had Seated a cenotaph i tt d'ley t" the memory of the New South Wales -soldiers who fell in tb^ Great War, This w provided by the State Labour Government! When 4a co,tr«t this dofinite **gve»«ftvw by a Labour Opverawent, with the atuaaea silence of the Now Zealand Beform Government on the subjectTof th e Natjonal Memorial w the eighth year after tho complotioji of the &«at C wo must surely a ]J agree with Jlr. Fell that_ our Government is certainly lack. srr,!» andthatcanaaahas^