COMPLAINTS MADE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 21, 25 January 1940, Page 9

COMPLAINTS MADE

PEJONE CEREMONY

CENTENNIAL MEMORIAL

Although general satisfaction was expressed at yesterday afternoon's meeting of the Wellington Provincial Council of, the New Zealand Centennial organisation "with the success of the opening ceremony of the, Provincial Memorial at Petone oh Monday, there were some complaints and explanations. S*

Mr! T. Jordan, Mayor of Masterton, said it seemed to him that at the last moment the Government had usurped the functions of the Provincial Council, which had organised the ceremony from the start. Members of the council, who had worked for the ■.establishment of the memorial, had been left outside the official platform in favour of people not in any way concerned with it. The Government had had the opportunity of making the memorial a national one, but had left the job to the Provincial Council, and then at the last moment had usurped the functions of the council. "When I saw the: platform occupied by Ministers and their wives I was angered to a degree," said Mr. Jordan.: ~ Mr,: J.W. Andrews, Mayor of Lower Hutt; said that the Government paid for the celebrations that day, though not for the memorial,, and their attitude apparently was that they paid the piper and were going to call the tune. The reason for the cancellation of the procession, which was to have taken place in' conjunction with the opening ceremony, said Mr. Andrews, was that union secretaries, through the Labour Department, had advised one firm that any girl employees on the company's float in the procession would have to be paid treble time. This firm apparently got in touch with other intending, participants in the procession and six firms withdrew, causing the cancellation of the* procession. It was stated at the meeting that Griffin's had: withdrawn a float costing-. £75 because of the obligation to pay treble wages, and ithat the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company had sent out a model of the Dominion Monarch which received ' only a comparatively small showing. .

: iiiembers pointed out that the procession was riot the affair of the council, though it had been delegated by the council to a Hutt Valley comjriittee. The council secretary, Mr. E. M:. Bardsley, -was complimented on the efficient conduct of the actual opening ceremony and tributes were paid to Mr. Andrews for his - extraordinary work for the historical pageant.

Concerning the large window in the memorial building, Mr. Bardsley said that the committee had been notified by cable that the glass would not arrive in time from England, and so plain glass was put in. Almost on the eve of the ceremony the glass with the design on it did arrive and was substituted for the plain. From the inside of the memorial it appeared a splendid work, but from the outside ttie^pakeha had his left hand stretched oa^tp- greet the Maori.; The question jwas^ whether, the glass should be taken -out arid reversed so that the true picture: with the pakeha extending his right hand would be seen from outside, and not inside. It ,was decided to seek the architect's opinion. The building is to be formally handed over to the Petone Borough Council on receipt of the architect's certificate of completion.