FALLEN SOLDIERS' MEMORIAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12395, 3 July 1902, Page 3

FALLEN SOLDIERS' MEMORIAL.

: meeting of the executive !■ COMMITTEE, • CRITICISM OF THE GOVERNOR'S j SCHEME. A meeting of the Executive Committee in connection with the proposed .memorial to. the soldiers belonging to Otago wliq have fallen in South Africa was held at the Town Hall last evening; prescn(-The:Mayor (Mr ■T. A. Park) and Messrs G. L. Denniston, m l- J' r!lser ' K - Chisholm. G. M Burlinson T W J. H. Hosking, T. Scott, G. Butler (Mayor of Maori Hill), F. -0. .Cray (Mayor of West Harbour), and H. pnncan (Mayor of N.E, Valley). Apologies lor absence were received from Colonel Robm and Messrs J. A. Millar, M.H.R., MHtt ('"r ' J" Mwke nwe, -nT i'/* - Fe . nwlck > and R- Glendininjr. I lie Alayor, m opening the meeting, said it would be remembered that at a meetinE of citizens on. May 20' it had been resolved t hat a committee should bo set .'up to consider the best- method of raising a. memorial to the Midlers who had'beca killed' or who had died of disease in South Africa m<l elsewhere. \He bad called this preliminary meeting with a view to giving an opportunity of deciding how to proceed. It would bs noticed that his Excellency the Governor had placed a proposal before the people of . r to establish a veterans' home in the worth Island, and suggested it as a suitable memorial to perpetuate the memorv of the fallen soldiers. This he (the Mayor) would like the meeting to consider first. His own opinion was- that, however desirable the proposal might appear to his ■Excellency. as far as this community was concerned it did not view the proposal in the same light. It was for the meeting to decide, and he hoped it would express opinions oil any proposal brought'forward in a.way that would enable a definite decision to be arrived at that evening. Regarding the proposed Otago provincial memorial, there' could be 110 two opinions nil the matter. It- would say very little fur the people as a patriotic and sympathetic public if it were imagined that' their past support of the contingents, their outbursts of congratulation, and their immense enthusiasm on, all suitable occasions, should appear superficial. This- it certainly would seem if such an important part of the whole proceedings as the erection of a lasting remembrance to the gallant heroes who had lost their lives in doing battle in South Africa for their. King, their country, and the Empire, were neglected. .inn? Fl ' aser sa 'd heVould move— 'That the committee appointed by a dulyconvened meeting of citizpns of Duuedin. in connection with the memorial for (he fallen soldiers in South Africa, for the Otago provincial district, begs to resolve that his Excellency the Governor should be respectfully informed that the committee could not see its ' way lo support the proposes put forward bv his Excellency .to establish a veterans' home in, Auckland as a fittin o, memorial to the soldiers from Otago pro" \incial district who had fallen in South Africa." In sneaking to the motion, Mr i raser said he desired to express his personal sensibility gf the extreme courtesy 'the Governor had shown to the .committee and citizens, and he thought' that in a matter ul tills limit the Governor: would be the first to seek criticism of his idea. He (Mv 1 laser), lio\rt*vci\ thought the jivojuct an entirely wrong one, though it M me from tae highest and best of motives. It was entirely wrong in the resuect that there were no veteran soldiers in the South Island, and he had yet to learn that there was any body of veteran soldiers in the colony requiring relief. Thero was 110 country in the world where they were so well treated as in New Zealand. If a veteran wa« tin.married, the net pension paid to him and ms wife, if both were qualified, by the NewZealand Government by way of old-age pension was .536 per annum, and to this was to be added the Imuerial pension of £18, making n total of £5t a year coming into the house. If the veteran was a si'iglo man lie received £13 a year from the Imperial Government, and a like amount from the New Zealand Government as o'.d-age nension making ,1 total of £55 a year. If he were not tort infirm he could supplement this up to a year without decrease of the oldage pension ; and, if married, lie and his wife could, by outside work, raise their income to £78 a year without loss of oldage pension. How could it, therefore, be contended that veteran soldiers, as a body required a home? It.,might be in some individual cases, through various causes, that a home was required, but for such there was ample 'provision made in this colony. T.O nb'.isll such A home would require avery large sum of money, and.it would re- ; <?i" ire 7i a n" 8 ® amiUill grant for upkeep. 1 His Excellency had just delivered a very 1 sratching criticism 011 the management ' of the Costley Home in Auckland, and that 1 home was managed by representative citi- 1 zens, but it seemed they had not managed 1 it properly. Therefore what guarantee was ' there that a similar home for veterans would " he properly managed? lie did not- think \ 'lie. Governor' could properly appreciate the j desire to honour the men who had froiio to '< the front and,laid dowii their lives, lie (Mr i

Fraser) did not wish to make any invidious distinctions,' but ho could say that Ota«o had not beeil outdone in patriotism, and "it was the wish of every man, woman, and ejiilcl in this province to honour those men. The present generation Was hero to-day and awav tn-morlow, and it was only fitting that there should be come almost everlasting memorial to {mint tHt way to similar deeds to those "who ■ came nfi-ir, and it was also highly necessary in tho cause of Imperialism because New Zealaiiders might-lie culled upon in tlie to again respond to ,the call- to arm's, awl' tho .sight of such a memorial would bring home to tho young the necessity of jiving their sen-ices for the Empire. With respect to tin; memorial there was no man in that room took so narrow a view as not to sympathise with those other cehtrcs wishing to establish memorials, but all would certainly reeognice, once the matter was placed constantly before the public, the necessity for some central provincial memorial whereon every man's name would be inscribed who had fallen. He would like ,to see the committee put into every school'a,brass tablet upo;t which would Tie inscribed the names of those from the particular district who had fallen.

.Mr I'. Scott, in seconding the motion, said lie thought it was in the right spirit. He doubted very much whether it was desirable, to establish a veterans' home in any centre in Xew Zealand.- In. most cases tho veterans ahd friends and relations who looked after them. Then there was tho geographical difficulty whereby an institution in one centre was not of much -uso to another centre.

.Mr R. Chisholm thought Mr Fraser'3 proposal a very good one. It- seemed to him that if they were to perpetuate the memory of those brave men it should be by a memorial. The object .was not only to refresh the memories of the community generally, but to remind the children who came after.

The flavor said the ..resolution would carry the views of the public gcnerUlly. Mr Cray (Mayor of West Harbour) said he thought, too, that it would ho inadvisable to discuss tho veterans' homo idea. He considered the resolution would meet the. wishes of all in his district. Ho thought, however, -it would be better to attach to the resolution some reason'for the rejection of the veterans' homo proposal. The Mayor said ifc 'was his intention to send a copy of the report of the proceedings to his Kxeellency the. Governor. He had a letter from the Warehousemen's Association (already published), and he had replied asking whether the association wished to support the veterans' home ]or the momorial., To this he hM received a reply to the effect that the association had misunderstood the movement, and had thought that Olago was going to support the veterans', home proposal as a memorial. He (the Mayor) had 110 doubt tho association would agree with the resolution.

The-motion was then carried unanimously. Mr Chisliolm moved that a sub-committee should be.sct up to bring-forward, for the approval of the executive, f\ method of perpetuating the momory of tlip-c from Otago who had fallen in South Africa- and a scheme for raising the necessary funds, the committee to consist of the Mayor, and-Messrs .T. F. M. Fraser (convener), Glendining. Mills, Hosking,- Kempthorne, Speight, and the. mover.

Mr Hosking- suggested the Mayors of the varioi'.s boroughs. . Mr Fraser'Said the idea in forming only a small : committqe was to leaye a bigger com mittee behind to criticise the reports. Mr Cray seconded tho motion, which was carried unanimously. Tiie Mayor said lie had received numerous replies to the request for assistance, and some had promised to aid the scheme. . Invcrcargill was, of course, going to erect a separate memorial. He had also received another message from the Governor showing that there were 2094- veterans' medals in the colony, and pointing out that this meant .1 large number of veterans. While the return was by, 110 means complete, the fact of such a large number emphasised the necessity for a- veterans' home. '

Ou Mr the chairman of the Otago/'Education Board, the chairman of the High Schools'- Board of Governors, and Messrs P. -G. Pryde and C. Macandrew were added to the Executive Committee. This concluded the business.