State’s Aid To Centennial Projects

Northern Advocate, 27 April 1940, Page 7

State’s Aid To Centennial Projects

fPer Pres, 1 ; Association. Copyright.] WELLINGTON, This'Day. The part played by the Government in aiding various insritutions. including the Exhibition, during Centennial year, was emphasised by the Minister in Charge of Celebrations (Mr Parry), addressing 400 members of the Auckland division of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union at Parliament House. Mr Parry said that £15,000 had been set aside for the payment of a subsidy of £1 for £3 towards the cost of all approved celebrations and memorials sponsored by provincial districts or local Centennial committees. The sum of £25,000 had been set aside for national celebrations held by the Government and also to provide part of the cost of national celebrations being carried out by provincial councils. Grant fer Maori Celebrations The Government had made a loan of £25,000 to the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition Company, and had subscribed shard-capital to the extent of £56,000. A further £25,000 had been provided for special assistance in connection with Maori participation in the celebrations, and as a contribution toward the cost of the Whare-runanga at Waitangi, and certain other Maori memorials, and £27,000 was set aside for Centennial publications. The sum of £6OOO had been granted for assistance to the National Broadcasting Service toward the cost of musical and dramatic festivals. Sports Art Union On the sports side, Mr Parry said, a profit of £II,OOO had resulted from the sports art union held last year, and most of that sum had been allocated to organisations conducting national Centennial sports gatherings. Any balance would be distributed to other local sports bodies for the development of physical recreation. There had been given £ 1000 for literary competitions, etc., conducted by the National Historical Committee, and a loan of £IOOO had been made towards the expenses of the Centennial Art Exhibition. Film Being Prepared • Mr Parry said the Government was producing, as a national record of the Centennial and as a publicity medium, a semi-documentary film of 5000 feet, portraying the development of New Zealand from the arrival of the first settlers to the present.