THE DR STUART MONUMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14260, 8 July 1908, Page 2

THE DR STUART MONUMENT.

I ITS SUGGESTED REMOVAL. A short time ago tho idea suggested t itself to the- General Committee of tho City Council that the Dr Stuart memorial i monument in. Lower Halt-ray street be removed from ' its present position and re-erected in the open space at tho northern end of the Early Set-tiers' Hall. The , members who formed tho Memorial ■ Com- [ mittee were communicated with on the subject by Mr John Davie, to whom the ! City Council's memorandum was forwarded,. i and asked to attend' a meeting with the > object of discussing tho proposal and considering whether there was. likely to be . any objection on tho part of the subscribers ■ to the removal of the statue. Tho meeting was held in Mr Davie's offic© yesterday ■ afternoon, when there were presont the r following members of the old committee: i -Messrs G. Fenwick, A. Bathgate, A. Sligo, i 11. Glendining, J. I'. Mackcrraa, G. L, i Denniston, T. \V Wbitson, J. B. Thomson, E. E. C. Quick, and D, A. M'Nicoll. .Mr G. Fenwick was voted to the chair. Dr Hocken wrote as follows:—" I rei gret much tha't I cannot he present, at the i meeting summoned for this afternoon to' inquire as to the possible removal of the r Stuart monument. It at present occupies I what is undoubtedly the bes 1 - and most ! prominent monuinona) site in the city, i This boing so, 1 think the site.should be' occupied by a worthy statue, either of her ! Majesty tho Queen, in whose reign and i under whoso auspices New Zealand became i a British colony, or of Captain Cook, tho s great navigator and discoverer of New s Zealand, or of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, ! to whose genius -and efforts New Zealand t owes not only its colonisation, but truly its f cession to tho Crown. But opinions of ; this sort aro not now asked for." It seems i to me that no better site could be chosen than the triangular and elovated enclosed 1 space forming the south portion of the Knox • Church grounds. This is conspicuous t enough, and hero four streets converge. ) Here, too, the monument would have a fit resting place close to the scene of Dr ' Stuart's life-long labours and within a stone-throw of his old home.—l am, etc., T. M. Hocken." f The Chairman said it had been suggested , by the Genera'. Committee of the City , Council that, tho Dr Stuart monument should be removed from its present position ~i to the open triangular space at the northern ; end of the Harlv Settlers' Hall in Lower l High street. . The question was asked, - Would there bo any objection to this pror posal on the par* of those who subscribed v - to tho erection of the statue?' He (the f chairman) had looked through the reports . on tho erect-ion and unveiling of the i monument, and he could not find any a reference whatever to any formal handing • over of tho monument. There was a. formal ceremony at tho unveiling, and the • monument, practically wont into the frauds a of the City Council as custodians for the • subscribers. In his opinion, the present site - was not tiie roost suitable one, Tho statue . had its back to a large number of passers--1 by, and it did not possess the imposing r appearanco that such a monument 6hould i, have. It was too low in the pedestal, and i- gave the appearance of being, set in a 3 hollow. It should have been elevated some - 3ft or 4ft. Then the four lamp-posts by which it was surrounded detracted very x much from its'appearance. Generally, ho s considered the. proposed removal would be f a wise step, as the new site was in every way a suitable one. 9 Mr Bathgate said that if the monument , was to bo removed at all it would be \ a mistake to vemovo it to tho Knox 3 Church site, as had beon suggested by v some. Tho monument had been erected ii\ r momory of Dr Stuart, not as a minister 5 of Knox Church, but as man who was 0 generally lovod and respected. Tho pro- -| posed site at the northern end of tho Early s Set-tiers' Hall would be greatly improved ~ by tho planting of flowers and shrubs, and If when completed would have an even hotter 6 appearance _ than the southern ond. 1 The t proposed site hewvoga.rded as the most e siiitablo for "the statue. He then moved— a "-That as the functions of the Dr Stuart r Memorial Committee ceased when the statue of tho late Dr Stuart was handed ovor to the custcdy and care of the City Council, and as the committee itself was then practically dissolved, it seems to be in the unrestricted power of the council t to remove the statue to a more suitublo site; but that as the members of the late I, committee deemed it- right to meet in response to the council's request, thev now, on boha-lf of the subscribers to the Memorial a Fund, approve of the proposed transfer j of the statue to the open space to the north of the Early Settlers' Hall; and . that, if the council so dosire, tho members g of the late committee will gladly associate tg themselves with tho counoil in superin- [ tending the removal of the statue, nnd q that to this end Messrs Glendining, Bathgate, and Fonw.ick be appointed to represent, the subscribers." Mr Thomson seconded the motion. His sympathies were entirely with' what had | t been said. The proposed site was equally as good as the present one, which, it was suggested, should be done away with, for , the purpose, he understood, of converting a v portion of the area there into a general cab stand. At present, the statue faced nowhere, but if removed to the northern :- end of the IJarly Settlors' Hall it would be o seen by probably 50 per cent, more people. Is MY Quick expressed himself in a similar i- direction. The proposed site woe a more n general one than that in the Knox Church s grounds. o Mr Davie questioned if the site suggested d would bo a permanent one. d ' The Chairman said there was ft long 1 lease—one of 42 years—attached to the t ground. d Mr Sligo pcraonallv he objected very i- strongly _ to any removal whatever. The ■ ,prej«ju site was one of the most conspicuous

and prominent in the city There was nc "" bettor position to bo had. Mr Whitson said ho was very strongiy of tho opinion that the Knox Church site was the proper one for the statue. It was a commanding situation, and was just where Dr Stuart would himself Jiavo wished the statue should be—that was, alongside tho church of winch he was the founder Ho moved—" That if the removal of tho statuo from its present site is decided upon, it be a recommendation to tits council that a more fitting location would bo tho triangle in front of ivnox Church, at the junction of George, London, Pitt, and Frederick streets." Mr Denniston seconded this. He said they could not have a better or more fitting site for 6uch a memorial statue. He would like that that site should begdvon soino con-' sideration. The amendment was put to tho meeting and lost. Tho Chairman said it.was possibly right that tho whole of the susbcribcTS should bo given an opportunity of expressing in opinion on the matter. Mr Glendining said he had a list of the original subscribers. Mr Sligo moved as a further amendment "That in the opinion of this committee* the site where the statue now stands is the most desirablo and public in the city and, therefore, the statuo should remain there." Mr Glendining seconded the amendment, but it was lost. Tho motion was then put to the meeting ; and carried by 6 votes to 4. A final motion was carried to tho effect that in tho event of tho statue being removed to a new site it bo a necommenda- ■ tion to the City Council to sco that it is raised to a suitable height. A vote of thanks to the chair concluded the meeting.