THE CENTENNIAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23228, 23 December 1938, Page 13

THE CENTENNIAL

AUCKLAND'S MEMORIAL FURTHER STEPS TAKEN EXECUTIVE SET UP SUGGESTIONS INVITED Further stops toward deciding the form of Auckland's principal Centennial memorial were taken last night by a conference of local and public ■body representatives. An executive committee was set up to consider the form ot the memorial, and it was also decided to invito written suggestions from the public, 'iho Mayor, Sir Ernest Davis, presided. It was decided that the senior magistrate in Auckland, Mr. W. 11. MoKean, should be invited to act as chairman of the executive, which is to report its recommendations to a plenary conference of local body representatives to be held on March ]. The executive was appointed as follows: —Sir Ernest Davis, Dr. R. G. McKlroy and Mr. W. T. Anderton (Auckland City Council), the Mayors of Mount Eden, Mount Albert, One•hunga, Devonport, One Tree Hill, Newmarket, Kllerslie and Manurewa, and the chairmen of the Mannkau County Council. Mount Wellington. Panmure Township and Mount Koskill Jioad Boards. Glen Eden Town Board. Auckland and Waitemata Electric-Power Boards, Auckland Transport Board and Auckland Metropolitan Milk Council, with power to add. The conference also decided that the report ot' the executive should be returnable on or before February 22. Desire lor Suggestions On the Mavor's suggestion it was decided to invite public suggestions for the principal memorial. The suggestions are to be returnable to the Town Hall by January 10, and will be considered by the executive on January 12. Sir Ernest Davis said that 27 of the 28 local authorities and public bodies in the metropolitan area had forwarded replies. Of these 17 were favourable, seven unfavourable and three indefinite. Those favouring the proposal were the Auckland City Council, Mount Eden, Mount Albert, Onelninga, Devonport. One Tree Hill. Ellerslie and Newmarket Borough Councils, Mannkau County Council, Mount Roskill, Mount Wellington and Panmure Road Boards, Glen Eden Town Board, Auckland and Waitemata Electric-Power Boards, Transport Board and Metropolitan Milk Council. Bodies Against Proposal Against the proposal were the TakaEurvi. Otahuhu, j Birkenhead, New ynn and Northcote Borough Councils, the Waitemata County Council and the Papatoetoe Town Board, the last-mentioned said it was outside the metropolitan area. Indefinite replies were received from the Auckland Harbour Board and the Henderson and Howick Town Boards. The Manurewa Borough Council had not replied. It was stated at the meeting on behalf of the Manurewa Borough Council that its reply would-be favourable. "Two of the replies call for somp comment," said Sir Ernest. "As far as the Takapuna Borough Council is concerned, we are becoming accustomed tn the form of reply given, and in these circumstances 1 consider it futile tn retain this local bodv on the mailing list. Harbour Board's Attitude "1 cannot quite follow the attitude of the Harbour Board, which I think could, with propriety, associate itself with the combined metropolitan endeavour and. at the same time, provide its own distinctive memorial. After all, the board is an integral part of the citv and must he vitally concerned in any combined endeavour in' the direction upon which we hope to proceed " Sir Ernest suggested that the Harbour Board and the Waitemata County Council be asked to reconsider their decisions. He said he had no complaints to make about the way the Harbour Board had treated the suggestion, but when the matter was gone into more fully he hoped the board would become more sympathetic. The chairman of the Harbour Board, Mr. W. B. Darlow, said his board had felt that its interests were rather distinct from those of the city and other local bodies, and had therefore favoured a memorial peculiar to the character of the port. However, the board was not antagonistic to the project and his own personal, view was that it would be ready to assist the other authorities in some way.

Delegation Appointed A delegation consisting of the Mavor and Messrs. R. J. Mills, I. J. Goldstine; J. Park and W. T. Anderton was appointed to wait upon the board to press the desirability of co-operating in the scheme.

Sir Ernest said that as the replies indicated a preponderance of support for the proposal that a combined metropolitan endeavour be made for the provision of a principal Centennial memorial for Auckland, subject to final agreement being reached on the form, cost and allocation of the charges. He considered that the conference would be justified in appointing an executive committee with an independent chair'man to consider the form the memorial should take, and report its recommendations to a plenary conference of local body representatives. The conference then proceeded with tho appointment of an executive. DEFENCE CO-OPERATION THE AUCKLAND PROCESSION As the result of a visit to Wellington by Mr. N. M. Speer, secretary of the programme and pageantry sub-commit-tee of the Auckland Centennial Council, and Mr. J. MeCormack, chairman of the procession section, the assurance has been received of the lull eo-opera-tiou of the Ariny and Navy in the Centennial procession to bo held in Auckland early in 1940. The Wellington City Council will also co-operate in the procession and the. Navy will assist in the pageant representing the landing of Captain Holison, first Governor of the Colony. Mr. Speer and Mr. MeCormack while in Wellington discussed the question of floats with the head offices of a number of firms with branches in Auckland, and a successful outcome of the discussions is anticipated.