TWO MEMORIALS

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12146, 25 May 1925, Page 7

TWO MEMORIALS

TO BE ERECTED TO LATE PRIME MINISTER AT POINT HALSWELL AND PARLIAMENT GROUNDS CO-OPERATION OF LOCAL BODIES SOUGHT Two national memorials to the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey) are to be erected in Wellington, one at Point Halswell, and one, possibly a statue, in Parliament Ground*. The Government is inviting the co-operation of local bodies in raising the necessary funds.

Referring on Saturday to the fact that the Auckland City Council had initiated a movement for a general subscription for the purpose of erecting a national memorial to the late Mr Massey, the Prime Minister (Sir Francis Bell) stated on Saturday morning that he had requested the Mayors of the cities and boroughs and the chairmen of tho county councils throughout the Dominion .to co-oper-ate in the effort by inviting publio subscription. It was proposed, he said, to erect a monument over the grave at Point Halswell, and also a suitable memorial or statue in the Parliamentary grounds, and that the control should be vested absolutely in a committee consisting of the Speaker of the Legislative Council, the Speaker of the House of Repersentatives, the Prime Minister for the time being, the Chief Justice, and one person to be nominated by the Massey family. The whole personnel of the committee has signified its Willingness to act. The committee will probably appoint a national treasurer to receive all money collected. : MESSAGES OF SYMPATHY Cables and telegrams of sympathy with Mrs Massey in the death of tbe late Prime Minister have been received in such large numbers that it has been impossible to acknowledge them in the order of receipt, and the publication of some messages which were actually received a few hours after the death occurred has unavoidably been delayed. Among the world-wide tributes received from oversea was the following from the American ConsulGeneral:—“A cablegram from the Acting-Secretary of State at Washington requests us to convey to you the very sincere sympathy of the United States Government In your deep bereavement.” Further messages of sympathy have been received from Lord Islington (ex-Governor of New Zealand). Lady Russell (London), and Sir Harold Beauchamp (Sydney).

MARINE DRIVE ROUND RESERVE PRISON LABOUR SUGGESTED

ROAD-MAKING, TREE-PLANTING

The suggestion was made to a “Times” representative on Saturday that the prison labour available in the district might well he used, not only for constructing the proposed Marine drive round the Military Reserve on the south side of the entrance to Wellington harbour, but also for making roads and pathways through the reserve, preparing the sites for the National memorial to the late Prime Minister and for the National War Memorial, and planting trees and otherwise beautifying the reserve. In support of this suggestion it was pointed out that a great deal of this kind of work has already been done, and extremely well done, by prison labour in many parts of the Dominion; and that if the prison labour available in this district were so utilised,

it would not only mean a considerable saving of expense, hut would provide useful, suitable, and very beneficial employment, from rho reformative point of view, for the prisoners. The whole of the beautiful public gardens and ’-ecreation grounds at New Plymouth, -t -va« pointed out, were made by prison labour, and other sports ana recreation grounds had been greatly improved. Prisoners, too, had done a certain amount or beautifying at Napier, building a wall along the esplanade, and planting trees below the prison. At Nelson the Rocks road had been formed by prison labour, and a lot of work had been done in. connection with the recreation grounds there j and prisoners were now engaged in beautifying and improving the iorgariro National Parkj grading roads up Ruapehu and Tongariro, constructing bridges, hutments, and a temporary hostel building.

ROTORUA, TAUPO, HANMER At Rotorua millions of trees have been planted by prison labour, the plantations covering no less than 16,000 acres; and it is now possible to drive for 35 miles through avenues of trees planted by prisoners under the direction of the officers of the Forestry Department. A lot of tree-plant-ing and landscape-gardening work has also been done by prison labour at Hanmer Springs; and from 30 to 40 acres havo. been reclaimed from the sea at Sticking Point, Port Lyttelton, by the prisoners there; while no less than 3000 acres have been reclaimed at Invercargill. At Te Awamutu, prison labour has converted 2000 acres from manuka scrub and swamp land, and it is now the Waikeria State Farm, one of the finest farms in.the district. At the present time prisoners are engaged on a block of 30,000 acres at Hautu, on the shores of Lake Taupo, breaking the land in and cutting it up into farms of 600 to 800 acres, constructing roads, fencing and grassing the land, and generally developing it for closer settlement

The Minister-in-Charge of Prisons (the Hon. O. J. Parr) has recently trebled or quadrupled the number of men employed on this work. A 44ft. road has been constructed and is being maintained by prjson labour from Tokaanu to Lake Taupo, and where there was formerly oqjy a bridge-tracs there is now a daily motor service between Toknanu and the lake. Prisoners, are also at work constructing a main highway from Raurimu to Ohakune, through the slippery papa country. About 14 miles of this highway have already been formed, metalled, and bridged—the section from Raurimu to Pokaka.

Th 9 first experiment, and the only unsuccessful one, in utilising prison labour, the “Times” representative was informed, was madd at the West Coast sounds. Prisoners were set to work or the Milford Track, hut after two years they had to be withdrawn, the experiment proving a failure owing to the fact that the wrong type of men had been selected for the work. The very worst cases had been chosen; but since then such men had not been put to this class of work, and the very best results had been obtained from prison labour.