SOLDIERS' MEMORIAL

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 806, 8 September 1923, Page 2

SOLDIERS' MEMORIAL

R.S.A. APPOINTS SUB-COMMITTEE

At last night's meeting of the It.S.A. executive, a letter was received from the Manawatu Patriotic Society advising that, at a recent meeting of that body, Mr. Hodder, chairman of the Soldiers' Memorial Committee, had tendered his resignation and had expressed the opinion that the Patriotic Society should now take up the work. Following the discussion it had been considered that in the best interests of the memorial, Mr Hodder and his committee should remain as constituted and that the Patriotic Society should co-operate with the committee referred to and also that a sub-commit-tee should be appointed by the R.S.A. to assist in the work. The chairman (Mr B. J. Jacobs) explained that a site for the memorial had been selected at the junction of Main, Rangitikei and Fitzherbert streets, but the presence of the railway prevented its erection in the meantime. To institute a campaign at the present juncture, when the scheme could not possibly materialise for perhaps four or live years, was. in his opinion to court disaster. The chosen memorial would require a large area and the site selected possessed many advantages. Interest would, however, undoubtedly wane if some definite scheme was not placed before the public. Mr. W. C. Harrington held that the form which.the memorial would take was tangible and it was preferable that the campaign to raise funds be proceeded with. Mr Dilks asked if it was not possible to obtain something definite from the Minister of Railways relative to the deviation. The public was looking to the association to make a move and it was advisable to have something definite to work on. Mr J. W.'Rutlierfurd maintained that to write the Minister was a waste of time as the member for the district had been' unable to ascertain'the information desired./ Mr, Dilks, in moving that a subcommittee of four be appointed t,o confer with the Memorial Committee, suggested that an arch on four-bases be proposed as a memorial. The presence of the railway would not prevent the erection of the archway. The chairman stated that he personally favoured such a memorial, but the site had already been decided upon. It was finally decided that a sub-com-mittee consisting of Messrs J. W. Rutlierfurd, A. W. Chapman, D. Dilks, and W. G. Rutlierfurd be appointed to confer with the Memorial Committee in the matter of the proposed campaign.