THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, APRIL, 5, 1887.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7914, 5 April 1887, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, APRIL, 5, 1887.

To-day at four o'clock a public meeting, convened by His Worship the Mayor, is to be held in the long room, Insurance Buildings, Queenstreet, to consider the manner in which the 21st June—the Queen's Jubilee—should be observed in Auckland. It is much to be desired that the attendance will be good, and a really representative one of the Auckland community. The Auckland community we say, because care should still be taken, as thus far it has been taken, to make the movement one in which the whole provincial district may feel an interest, This it is the more necessary to notice as the unintentional oversight thereof has in some places somewhat interfered with uuity of

action. With - respect to ,, the manner in which the v day should be observed, it >ought not to be difficult to make certain arrangements which would have the effect of making all the people feel that they were animated by the one sentiment of loyalty towards a sovereign, -who by her prudence and virtue has enthroned herself in the hearts of all her subjects. For one thing it might be arranged to allow the people to travel that day along the railways as far as they please at merely nominal rates. Indeed we do not see why an order to this effect should not be issued by the Government for the whole colony. In what better way could the Government honour the day than by giving an opportunity to all Her Majesty's subjects in this portion of her dominions to go from city to country or from country to city to meet their friends and celebrate the day in witnessing the progress made in the several districts all over the colony ? There are at present two Ministers of the Grown on a visit to Auckland; and, unless the Ministry have thought of something like this alreadj , , it would not be amiss in them to take the suggestion into consideration, with a view to some action thereon being taken by the Cabinet. Wβ do not know if any more simple and effective way in which a really national character could be given to the observance of the day. And if the Cabinet further desired to bring the colony into complete public sympathy with the Imperial character of the event celebrated, it might further arrange that the gross amount of the nominal fares taken on that day all over the colony might be given as a contribution from New Zealand towards the Imperial Institute, by which the Queen desires that the memory of her Jubilee should be perpetuated.

A movement of this nature, on the part of the Government, would obvioualy greatly facilitate the arrangements which the local authorities might desire to make for the ntting observance of the day. Nor would it in the leaat interfere with any movement which it may be expedient to initiate whereby everyone in the colony may have an opportunity of personally contributing his penny or shilling or pound, or any sum he pleases, to the Imperial Institute. This Institute is meant not only to be an expression of gratitude from the British people all over the world for' the manifold blessings of Her Majesty's reign, but also to become from that very circumstance an abiding symbol of the unity of the Empire, The method by which the opportunity of making this personal contribution may be afforded to all Her Majesty's subjects in this colony, both European and native, should also, we think, be devised by the Government, aud placed on a simple footing, so that it might easily be worked by the local authorities all over the country. They have, it is true, already issued a circular soliciting local bodies to co-operate with the Treasury in procuring subscriptions. But this is not enough. The circular very ably sets out that the Imperial Institute is the only commemorative memorial of her jubilee which the Queen has been pleased to accept, and that it ought to be the desire of all loyal subjects to defer to her wish, and also that the practical object of the Institute is, as expressed by Professor Huxley, that it may play for the Empire the same part in regard to the advancement of industrial knowledge which has been played in regard to science and learning in general by the Royal Society and the Universities. All this is well said ; but it supplies no practical machinery by which the money may be obtained from the people, in such sums as they may be plcasod to give. Sir Julius Vogel says truly that " it is not the amount only but the number of subscribers which will attest the desire of the colonists to do honour to an object so acceptable to our Gracious Sovereign ;" but, in order to command numbers, the Government will have to devise a system of collecting which may be carried out easily in all parts of tho colony. The secret of success will be found in conveying, by means of collecting cards, the universal impression that only small sums are expected ; as thus only can the contribution be really national .

But as a rule there will be some desire at the centres of population that, over and above observing the Jubilee Day in a becoming manner, and contributing to the Imperial memento of the unusual event, there should be some permauent local memorial of the Jubilee. Hence, as is stated in His Worship's announcement of to-day's meeting, the consideration of this point is also intimated as part of the business. Such a desire is everyway becoming, though we have seen denunciations of any such feeling as tending to divert attention from the duty of gratifying Her Majesty by contributing to the Imperial Institute. To our way of thinking, the two things do not interfere with each other. As a matter of fact they are the complement of each other, and there are few people who, in giving a shilling to the Imperial Institute as the expression of loyalty and gratitude from all parts of the empire, would not also desire to give another shilling to a permanent local symbol of the same feelings, cherished for Her Majesty. What shape this local memorial should take we respectfully leave to His Worship and those attending the meeting to-day to suggest and determine. But to them also will we presume to say this much, that if they wish this movement to be a success, they must remember that it is by the multiplicity of small contributions that such success Avill be secured.