DOMINION CENTENARY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22911, 19 June 1936, Page 14

DOMINION CENTENARY

GOVERNMENT PREPARATIONS

CELEBRATION OF EVENT OUTLINE OF ARRANGEMENTS (Peb United Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 18. The policy decisions of the Government in the preparations for the celebration of New Zealand’s centenary in 1940 were placed before the National Centennial Committee by the chairman (Mr W. E. Parry, Minister of Internal Affairs) today. The Government, ho said, had decided that the event would bo celebrated as follows:

1. Permanent memorials, including a national memorial, to be erected by the Government. 2. A series of historical surveys of the first 100 years of New Zealand’s national life.

3. Suitable celebrations, both national and local, throughout 1940.

Apart from the cost of a national memorial and the historical surveys, the Minister said, the Government contemplated providing £250,000 for the celebrations.

ERECTION OF MEMORIAL On the question of permanent memorials, Mr Parry said the Government would provide the coat of and would erect a permanent national memorial. Further than that he could not go at present. Its form was under consideration by the Government, and an announcement would be made in due course. The Government would make provision for subsidising moneys raised locally foe memorials duly approved. A national committee would be set up at an early date to go fully into the question of historical surveys. He visualised a series of works by the most competent authorities in Now Zealand on every phase of our national life, written, moreover, for general reading ns well us for purposes of historical record. As to tho actual celebrations, ho divided these into five classes: —

1. Celebration of events of national importance at places where the events actually occurred. The Waitangi Treaty at Waitangi and the proclamation of sovereignty over the South Island at Akaroa wore quoted to illustrate what he meant.

2. Purely local celebrations. These were divisible into: (a) Particular local events, and (b) general celebrations in honour of the centenary.

3. Maori celebrations. 4. An exhibition at Wellington. 5. Special attractions for overseas visitors.

In regard to the expenditure of £250,000, which he had already mentioned, Mr Parry said this provided up to a maximum of a £75,000 loan and subsidy for the exhibition at Wellington, the balance to bo for national celebrations held by the Government itself or by provincial organisations on behalf of the Government and tho subsidising on a £1 for £3 basis moneys raised locally for local celebrations of memorials.

In addition to all these arrangements the Government would bear the cost of suitably entertaining guests from abroad invited by the Government, and would also between now and 1940 suitably increase the vote to the Tourist and Publicity Department for advertising abroad aand providing special tourist attractions.

WELLINGTON EXHIBITION In regard to the Wellington Exhibition, Mr Parry said tho Government concurred in the view that an exhibition should be held in Wellington. The Wellington Committee was fathering the proposal, and visualised a company with £300.000 capital. To that the Government had no objection. The committee, however, asked the Government for assistance to the extent of £IOO,OOO by a grant and £50,000 by way of share capital. ' Frankly, it was impossible for the Government to consider financial help on such a scale, in view of the very large sum it would have to provide in connection with other celebrations and national and local memorials. What the Government was prepared to do once the company was formed was to make a loan free of interest not exceeding £25,000, and provide a subsidy of £1 for £2 of the subscribed share capital up to a limit of £50,000. It must not ho forgototocn, he pointed out, that whatever financial help tho Government gave would not be tho full extent of tho Government’s exhibition expenditure, it cost tho Government of the day £30,000 for tho Government courts and exhibits at the Dunedin Exhibition, and, if the Wellington Exhibition was on the same scale, at least that amount would lie required in 1040. A DIFFICULTY OVERCOME To avoid pronunciation difficulties in connection with the word centenary, the suggestion of Mr J. W Hceimn, Undersecretary of the Department of Internal Affairs, was adopted by to-dny’s conference to drop tlie word altogether in favour of “centennial.” New Zealand, therefore, will have a centennial, not a centenary.

VIEWS OF NATIONAL COMMITTEE GENERAL APPROVAL EXPRESSED (Peg United Pgess Association) WELLINGTON, June 18. The national conference in connection with the New Zealand centennial celebrations expressed general approval of the Government's proposals, but several suggestions for a variation were made and are to be the subject of further representations to the Government. Particularly is this so in connection with the proposed allocation of £75,000 towards the Wellington Exhibition. The Mayor of Wellington (Mr T. C. A. Hislop) expressed the view strongly that it would be of no use considering the establishment of a worthy exhibition with a maximum Government contribution of £75,000, which was lower than the assistance granted to (be Dunedin Exhibition, though the occasion was much more important. He suggested £125,000, the public of New Zealand to find the same amount. 1

No finality was reached to Mr Hislop’s suggestion, but the conference agreed that the Government's contribution to the total commemorations throughout the Dominion was very generous. The Mayor of Auckland (Mr E. R. Davis) suggested that local contributions should be subsidised £1 to £2, not £3, and on this subject also further representations are to be made to the Minister.

Mr Parry again emphasised the necessity for the celebrations being regarded trom a national and not from a parochial point of view.

Various committee:—Historical, Research, Press, Tourist and Publicity, and Maori Participation—arc to be set up.