WAKEFIELD MEMORIAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3006, 25 October 1911, Page 10

WAKEFIELD MEMORIAL.

GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE GRANTED.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, October 17. In the House of Representatives this afternoon Mr G. W. Russell urged the Government to place a vote on the Supplementary Estimates with a view to the erection of a monument to the memory of Edward Gibbon Wakefield. Mr Russell thought that a worthy memorial should be erected to the memory of one who had so much to do with the colonising of New Zealand. He mentioned that Edward Gibbon Wakefield was buried in the Bolton street cemetery only a few hundred yards from where Parliament was then sitting. Mr James Allen agreed that' they should do something to perpetuate the memory of Mr Wakefield, who was one of the prime movers in the foundation of the colony and who was a curious and an extremely interesting He hoped the Government would help those who were subscribing funds in England. The memory of seme of the other founders of the colony might likewise be recognised in some tangible way. | Sir Joseph Ward said tfliat in his : opinion the memory of the founder of this | colony should be put on record for all ; time in a suitable way. He did not agree j with Mr Jennings, and reminded him j that Canada had on more than one occa- • sion provided money to commemorate the • names of the great men connected with : Canadian history. He disagreed also { ■with the member for Dunedin North in that the public shonld be asked to subscribe first. He thought the Government should give a lead by stating that it would give, a pound for pound contribution up to a certain amount upon the subscriptions received. Mr Fisher said that in Wellington they had two public parks—Kelbnrn and Northland —named after sons of Governors who had done nothing for the city, but when it was suggested to name a park Wakefield the idea had been laughed at. The people did not eeem to know who Wakefield was. Wellington owed its | very existence to Wakefield, but not even a street was named after him. Wakefield's career was flj most fascinating one, and one of the finest speeches ever delivered in the New Zaland Parliament bad been delivered by him on the Constitution of the colony. It was very gratifying to him to know that the Govern- ; nient would assist in erecting a suitable monument. I Mr Jennings said he did not object to ' monuments that took the form of scholarships, but he did object to spending public money on monuments of brass or stone. i '