TO BEGIN AT LAST

Northern Advocate, 20 July 1933, Page 2

TO BEGIN AT LAST

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL. To fulfil a pledge given sixteen years ago to the Australian Imperial Force, the Royal Australian Navy, and the people generally, the Federal Government has decided to commence Hie erection of the Australian war memorial at Canberra at an early date, says the Melbourne “Age.”

The cost of the first stage of • the work will be £BO,OOO. This money will be obtained as follows: —£24,000 from Hie War Memorial Trust Fund: £20,000 voted by the Commonwealth Parliament and placed in trust some years ago; and £19,000 to be provided on „the estimates for 1933-34, and a similar amount on the following vear’s estimates.

In making this announcement at the conclusion of a meeting of the Federal Cabinet, the Prime Minister said the memorial would be built in two stages, Tbe first stage, to be carried through at once, would provide the galleries to contain the collection of records and relics at present exhibited in the War Museum in Sydney and in Melbourne. The galleries would include the foundations of the Hall of Memory and of the cloister, which would contain Australia’s roll of honour, The hall and cloister themselves would not be constructed until later. The undertaking of the work had been made possible largely by the decision of tlie War Memorial Board to advance for the purpose the £24,000 contained in the War Memorial Trust Fund, the proceeds of the exhibitions of the A.I.F. cinema films and the sale of A.I.F. publications. It was felt that this fund could be profitably used at the present time in helping to give employment. Unemployed men would also be assisted by putting into circulation the £20,000 voted sftme years ago by Parliament the building. This money was lying ?n trust awaiting use. Motives of economy also rendered it advisable that the essential buildings to house the collection should be constructed during the present period of low building costs. Further, the interest on the cost of the proposed work could be met by the considerable savings in rents and reduction in staff which would be effected by the transfer cf the collection to its permanent home/ The Prime Minister added that the

preparation of details of the scheme of employment had been left to the Minister of the Interior, but it had boon decided that in the first placepreference would be given to local unemployed. The work would be initiated by stages, and attention was specifically directed to the fact that any influx of unemployed from outside must result in disappointment.