CENTENNIAL PLANS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 158, 19 June 1936, Page 7

CENTENNIAL PLANS

Bigger Grant Suggested for Exhibition COMMITTEES SET UP By Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON, June 18. The national conference in connection with the New Zealand centenary celebrations expressed general approval of the Government’s proposals, but several suggestions for variation were made and are to be the subject of further representations to the Government. Particularly is this so in connection with the proposed allocation of £75,000 towards the Wellington exhibition. The Mayor of Wellington, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, expressed the view strongly that it would be no use considering the establishment of a worthy exhibition with a maximum Government contribution of £75,000, which was lower than the assistance granted to the Dunedin exhibition. though the

occasion was much more important. Ho suggested £125,000, the public of New Zealand to find the same amount. No finality was reached on Mr. Hislop’s suggestion, but the conference agreed that the Government’s contribution to the total commemorations throughout the Dominion was very generous. The Mayor of Auckland, Air. .Ernest Davies, suggested that local contributions should be subsidised by a pound to two pounds, not three. On this also further representations will be made. The Hon. W. E. Parry again emphasised the necessity of the celebra- ! tions being regarded from the national and not the parochial point of view. Various committees —historical, research, Press, tourist and publicity and Maori partiepiation —are to be set up. USEFUL MEMORIALS Trend Away from Bronze and Marble VIEWS ON PROPOSAL' Bv Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON, June 18. One of the main proposals of the Government for the celebration of the centenary of New Zealand is that permanent memorials, national and provincial, shall be erected, but it was made clear by Mr. J. W. Heenan, Under-Secretary to the Department of Internal Affairs, that it was desired that the one-tiine popular conception of memorials in marble or bronze should be departed from. Several proposals already had been received from various centres, said Mr. Heenan, and all indicated that the trend was away from stone and marble in doubtful or gloomy taste and towards forms on a higher plane. The people of New Zealand were looking forward to the big historical occasion to be commemorated in a form which would be not only of interest but be of real value to the people of the future. The Minister- of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry, said it would be the duty of the committee set up to .consider that aspect of the celebration to impress upon the people from one end of the country to the other that the form of the memorials should bo such as would properly commemorate the progress of the past TOO years and would be of use during the next 100 years.