Historic Graves.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3713, 5 October 1926, Page 3

Historic Graves.

WHAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING.

Interesting particulars of the. work carried out by the Goveirnmetnt, through the Department of Internal Affairs, in regard to fthei pxjse.rvatdolij of historic' graves and ;the improvement of old burial grounds, wore given by the Hon. |G. J. Anderson, in the course of (his speech at tjluei ceremony of unveiling the. memorial to the early settlors of Aharon-, at the old drench .’Oeimoiteiry on L’Anbe. Hill. The Minister said that in. addition to the work carried out on the graves of the men killed in the Great- War, the Government had turned its attention. to improving old historical burial grounds and graves of mein who fell during the: Maori wars An example of this work was-to be seen at Bangui:! in the Waikato- -diistirctf, where, on© of the heaviest engagements was fought during tillc Maori wars. There a large, area, had been surrounded by a stout fence and all known graves , suitably marked. The area, was planted in grass aiujl garden plots and native shrubs were added. Over the main entrance a large tablet had been elected, giving a description of the battle, and- the number of British and Maoris who fell. Similar work had been carried out in Ohawe Cemetery, near Rawer a., where a number of victims of the Maori wars were buried. The old historical churchyard at Russell had been renovated and improvements ©Hooted to the church, which was the oldest in New Zealand. This should preserve trial in to rest trig building 1 for a considerable time. Between eighty and ninety military find historical graves in Symonds Street Cemetery,, .Auckland 1 , had been renovated and other Maori war graves in outlying! districts had been located and suitably marked.

A total of 104(3 military lieadis'tioiies hart been erected in the Dominion to mark the last resting .place of soldiers of the Great War, and GI'JG headistlonteisi had been erected to mark graves of New Zealanders who fell in various theatres of war abroad. The- names of G224 men whose graves could- njoit

be located Jiad been. inscribed on memorials erected in select*cd cemeteries representing tlite areas areas on which such men fell. There were-, there,fore., only 2818 graves abroad yet to receive attention.