THE GOVERNOR IN OAMARU.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13206, 13 February 1905, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE GOVERNOR IN OAMARU.

UNVEILING' THE MEMORIAL TO FALLEN TROOPERS. ■

(Br Our Si'ecial Reporter )

Perfcct weather-attended on February 2 the visit of his Excellency the Governor to Oamaru, and that town may bo credited with having thoroughly risen to the occasion. Gay with bunting and enlivened with the presence of what appeared to be almost the whole population of the district, tho streets presented au animated appearance. All the' functions associated with his ■ Excellency's visit passed off most successfully, thanks to

excellont arrangement's, and punctuality was an ordor of tho day. On tho arrival by tho first express of his Excellency and his A.D.C. and secretary, accompanied by Sir Joseph Ward, tho party was met oh tho Oamaru station platform by tho Hon. T. Y. Duncan, the Mayor (Mr ,T. M. Brown), and tho councillors of Oamaru, Mr Duncan Sutherland (chairman) and members of the Waitaki County Council, Mr Nicolsoh (Mayor) and tho councillors of Hampden Borough, Mr ,T. Reid (of Elderslie), and

Lieutenant-colonel Headland and staff, and others. An address of welcome having

been received and replied lo by his Excellency, the party was driven to the Star and Garter Hotel, where a luncheon liau been arranged for. The route from the

station through tho main street, was lined with Volunteers and Cadets, the advance guard' being preceded by the North Otago Mounted Hides, under Lieutenant Orbell, and the rearguard by the Waitaki Mounted Rifles, under Captain Creagh. At tho station the guard of honour was supplied by the Queen's Rifles, under Captain Forrester, and tho Garrison Band played the National Anthem. The turnout of Volunteers was an excellent one, the parade state being as follows: Onmiiru Rifles, 27; Hampden Rifles, 23; King's Rifles, 42; Queen's Rifles, 37; Rillo Cadets, 19; band, 27; five School Cadet Corps, 158; North Otago Mounted Rifles, 32; Wailaki Mounted Ilitlcs, 60. Lieu-tenant-coloncl Headland was in general command of the infantry, and Colonel Nicholls of tho mounted corps. At tho luncheon at the Star and Garter somo 50 sat (town, and the function was a most pleasant one. 'A brief and appropriate toast list was gone through. The Mayor presided, having tho Governor and tho Hon. T. Y. Duncan on hia right, and Sir Joseph Ward on his left. UNVEILING THK MEMORIAL.

The principal function of the day—tho unveiling of the Troo|>ers' Memorial Stat-iio in Thames street—lwgan punctually at 2 p.m., and was perfectly successful, all arrangements being excellent. A very large gathering assembled around tho site of the memorial, which presents a handsome appearance, and those who so desired could avail themselves of reserved seats provided. Those on the platform included, besides his Excellency, Sir Joseph Ward, t-lie Hon. T. Y. Duncan, tho Mayor (Mr J. M. Brown), the Hon. G. Jones, Messrs T. Mackenzie (M.H.K.), and Duncan Sutherland. 1 The Mayor (Mr Brown) opened proceed-

ings by reading a telegram from tho Premier expressing regret at inability to bo prcKint, and mentioned that ho had also apologies for absence.from Colonel Robin,. the Hons. W. Hall-Jones, C. 11. Mills, J. Carroll, and J. M'Gowan, Colonel Pitt, Major Kcddell, Si.- John Buckley, and Sir Henry Milter. In a happf!y-wordod speech lie alluded to the .events that, had rendered the sending away of contingents from tho colony nooessary, and said it, was difficult now to learn with exactitude the number of

young men who left tlic North Otngo _ district for the war in South Africa, but there, must have boon something like 250, and of that number 16' brave Ituls, wlitfto names were engraven on the memorial before them, gave their lives for the Umpire, lit; questioned very much if nny of three 16 young mon lia<l ever even seen tho Motherland, and probably to them it was but a RTand tradition. Ho had 110 fear whaioverbnt that if the yoimg men of the colonies wore nailed on again to light for the ]<!mpiro they would come forward almost to a man. By voluntary contributions the mothers ami fathers of the North Otago district, raised £1200, which was sent Home to i he Patriotic Fund in London to l>e distributed among the wounded and'- among the widows and orphans created by the war. The ladies of Oamaru and of the neighliourhood raised a large sum of money to assist in equipping (ho different contingents and in providing remounts for the men, and when the war was over and they had to welcome bank their wounded, and knew of their dead, there roso a universal cry that something should l>e dono to 'honour and perpetuate the memory of those bravo fellows that nad given their lives in the struggle, and the result was tlio monument to be tlwt day unveiled. Ho could assure his Excolloney that his Majesty had not. ill all his wide and vast dominions moro loyal, moro devoted, or moro patriotic subjects than tne people of Oamaru and North Otago.— (Applause.) Tlio monument had cost !ho sum of £1618| and the bulk of that, he might say. had been subscribed by nil classes of the community most, heartily. He had to tlmnk the Government for generously remitting the sum of £213 duty on the material that had to be imported for tho building of the memorial. For that he tendered to Sir Joseph Ward the thanks of I he Memorial Committee.—(Anplause.) ITis Excellency then duly performed the ceremony of unveiling the memorial, by withdrawn? the Union .lack covering the names, and a firing party from the Oamaru Rifles fired three volleys, while 41 Tho Last Post" was sounded. His Excellency said he desired to thank those responsible for tli'e invitation to bo | present; that day, and he assured them it ( jjnvo him the greatest possible pleasure t.o attend such a ceremony. It was, to his mind, pprfcct.lv appropriate that tlio representative of tlie head of the Empire should take part in paying a tribute to the memory of those who died for the Empiro. There was no mistaking New Zealand's pride in those who left her shores to fight for t.hi> Umpire. Their national memorial, the Veterans' Home, was known far beyond this colony, and, as to local memorials, there' were several now in tho colony, and lie ventured to say that eertninly no finer nno existed than that which he had had the honour of that day unveiling.—(Applause.) This memorial served more than one purpose; it was not only a worthy tribute to those who fought and died in South Africa, it was not only an expression of sympathy to tho bereaved—and that, ho took it, did not only refer to the bereaved' in this particular instance, because there were sad liearls in almost every family in the Empire (ho had himself lost near relations and friends),— and this memorial was not only a worthy tribute to thorn, but also a permanent reminder to those who passed by that in these tinier of quiet arid prosperity they must not forgot, that tho Angel of i'eiice was not finally come to them; that the God of Battles still remained, and wars were, unfortunately, just as likely to occur again as they were two or three years ago. They must remember that in South Africa but some 500,000 men were fighting, whereas at the present moment betweenmillion and a-quart-er and a million and a-half combatants were waging bitter war in the same hemisnbere as that in which this colony was placed. He hopwl this public expression of respect for those ready to tlio for their country would excite greater interest than before l in the navv, which was the pride, hope, and protection of them all in whatsoever part of the Empire they dwelt, and would cause thorn to take every possible interest in the forces of tho colony, for their Volunteers were a fine body of men, and he could not over express his satisfaction at what he had seen of tlio colony's Cadets. If they did that they would prepare themselves against war so well that they would help to prevent the curse of war from coming among them. He thanked them for the kind rceeptioii they had given him, and for the great privilege accorded him in asking him to unveil that firio memorial—(Applause.) Sir Joseph Ward, who was most cordially received, said tho inspiriting remarks that liad fallen from the lips of his Excolleney coming from the; representative of his Majesty King Edward must do much to mould the character of tho younger generation, particularly in these young colonies, and many would no doubt, look baok to this day as the.day when a groat incentive/was implanted in their breasts to follow in the footsteps of thoso whose- memory they wore that day honouring, aiid as a day on which tho bond of union With tho Mother Country was more closely linked. . Their ceremony was more than a merely local ceremony, and ■its influence was far-reaching, and it showed the world at large ; that ' among ' the descendants of the people' of'the'three islands of the Motherland there was a rising generation in now lands prepared if 'necessary to go out as thev had done before to fight for : the Uiiion ."Jack. .Was it- not something to be proud of that mahy of their brothers

had lost their lives in the sorviee of that nag? Ho had been glad to hear the Mayor refer to the distinguished gentleman who led the Government of this country. Some people were ready to forget;-but he thought all men of all shades of opinion in Now Zealand would bo ready to nay that when tho occasion arose it was necessary to have a strong, forceful, vigorous leader of publio opinion in Now Zealand to inspiro the people, and, at the right moment, strike the iron while it was hot, and show those who were contending against England that tho old lion had her cubs behind her to assist her if need be.—(Applause.) It was a good thing to remember the efforts of publio men who^ had done something to assist iii moulding publio opinion in a now country such as Now Zealand. They desired peace, but if peacc should have to give way to war, and if necessity arose that they should have to give, they would give freely. To tho friends and relatives of those that had fallen, and whose memory they wore perpetuating tho consolation must be that the names of their fallen warriors were written m the colony's history in ailanguage that would never be forgotten. In this most distant part of the British Empire they felt it a great honour indeed to assemblo on such a memorable occasion as the present to join with thojwoplo of North Otago, who had done so wed in orecting this memorial, which lie hoped, ns did they all-, would per. petnato for all time what was so nobly achieved.—(Applause.) The Hon. Mr Duncan also spoke briefly. Mr Sutherland thanked those who had taken an active part in the day's corenionv— his Excollency for' his kindness in being present to unveil the memorial, tho members of the Ministry, and tho military for an oxccllent display, and ho also paid a compliment to Mr Forrester, the' architect, and to Mr Crombio,' tile builder of the monument.

Proceedings then terminated with hearty cheers for his Excellency, for Sir Joseph, the Mayor, and others.

The monument, which has lieen carried out from a design submitted in competition by Messrs Bergamini and Reid, of Dunodin, .with ccrtain modifications, is situated in Thames street, at its highest elevation and at its junction with Severn ui:d Coguct streets. It oocupics the most commanding situation in tho ccntre of the town, and is a conspicuous adornment lo a twochain street, made wider at this point- bv tlio junction of streets. It is, indeed, so placed that it must be seen* by every visitor to the town, and is a lasting tribute to the men of North Otago who gave their lives for the Empire in the South African" war. The total cost of the monument is almut £1650, and tho people of the district have shown a generous spirit in thus so' substantially perpetuating the memory of the honoured dead. The monument stands upon a foundation of concrete, 22ft 4in square, including two tiers of steps, each with x n rise of Ift, and a tread of 18in. The monument proper commences with a boldlysplayed Imiso of Port Chalmers bluestono, 2ft. 6in high, and on this rests a square plinth of dressed Malmsbury (Victoria) stone. All the-materials used from this point lipwards have been imported from the Old World—the granite from Aberdeen and Norway, and the marble from Carnra (Italy). Starting from the fop of the plinth there is a curved second base of coursed axed granite 6ffc high, finished at the bottom edge with a largo O.G. moulding. Tho whole is surmounted by a frieze of statuary marble, carved on the front, and rear faces with representations of the shields of Great Britain and New Zealand, surmounted by an Imperial crown and flanked on oitlier side by magazine ritles, entwined with foliage. The upper part, of the monument consists of pedestals, columns, and entablature in the lonic style, the pedestals being worked in and polished granite. The columns, with caps, are of red granite, carved and fluted, and their four panels,' which are 7ft 6in high, are wrought out of full-sized slabs of greon Norwegian granite. 'J'he entablature, with pedestal for tho figure, consists of several fine locks of marble, and the whole is surmounted by a 9ft figure of a trooper, with a rifle at the " Ready" position, excellently carved in fine statuary marble, in one piece. The bluestono liaso a t the south - side (the real front") projects forming a platform for a recumbent lion, worked out of statuary mui-bte, and iliis figure is utilised as a drinking fountain, being provided with a marble basin, water supply, and waste pipe. The total height of tho monument from the ground to the top of tho figure is 40ft Bin. At tho four comers of tho base tapered pedestals of Port Chalmers Milestone have been set, to carry neat iron lamp-posts, with oopperfrained lanterns, the bays liet-wcen being divided into thrco with cast iron stanchions, with lower rails of twisted iron, and festooned with cast iron ornamental chains, an opening being left- on the south side to give access to tho fountain. On the green granito panel facing south there is the inscription and names of tho men to whose memory tho monument is erected, done in easily-read lettering, sunk and gilded as follows : —

In honour of the men from North Ota?o who gavo their lives for the Kinpire in the South African war, 1898-1902:

Captain 11. G. Tubman. Lieutenant J. 11. Piute. Sergeant A.'Aitkenhead. , Sergeant A. M. lieid. Sergeant J. C. Power. Corporal A. Firth. Corporal J. R. Lamont. Trooper H. J. Booth. Trooper .T. Bruce. Trooper D. Clarke. Trooper A. H. Macdonald. Troopor L. H. Marcks. ! Trooper T. M'Lew. Troopor G. J. Neish. Trooper T. Eodgors. Trooper AY. H. Stock,The ereotion of the monument lias been carried out tinder tho supervision of Mr J. M. Forrester, architect, by Mr John Otombie, contractor, who has performed his work admirably, the various parts, although sent ready for fixing from different parts of the world, having been put together most accurately. INSPECTION OF CADETS. His Excellency's next, call was to attend the Oainavu Public Gardens, the function there being in the nature of a garden party, and music being supplied the Oamuru Garrison, Citizens' and Highland Pipe Bands. The tempting weather led a great number to attend tho gardens, the beauty of which is unquestionable, and again everything passed olf as successfully as could be desired. His Excellency brought his duties to a close by presenting to the North School Cadets tho shield presented by the Government for competition among Cadet corps in the South Island, and which a squad from tho Oamaru North School (tindor Captain T. Begg) won, with the creditable score of 711 out of 840. Prior to making the presentation, his Excellency inspected the Cadets pf the schools of tho North Otago Battalion numbering 158, who made a good display, and went through the march past and other manoeuvres most creditably. Colonel Loveday was present, with Major Burlinson as staff oflicer, Major Lindsay being in command. ■ The boys of the winning team wore Sergeants Wliytc, M'lntyre, and M'Donald, Corporals Sinclair and Lawson, Colour-sergeant Drennan, and Cadets Jack, Muriec, Amies, and Mnckio; and, in addition to the shield, each boy receives a medul. *