WAR MEMORIAL

Patea Mail, Volume XLIII, 19 March 1919, Page 2

WAR MEMORIAL

SUGGESTED METHOD FOR RAISING NECESSARY FUNDS.

(Contributed), The total estimated cost of the proposed scheme to improve the Patea Domain and to give quick access to the Beach is £2250, so that in tUe event of the Governraent giving a 10s in the £ subsidy it will be necessary for the people of Patea and district to raise the sum of £ISOO. The scheme proposed provides for an obelisk or a memorial gateway, a tarred roadway and footpath from Egmont street to the beach, provision for a water supply, dressing sheds and public kitchen at the beach, tree planting and fencing, children’s playground in Domain, improvement to Schnapper Point for fishing purposes, so that all sections of the community will be provided for, and a longfelt want of the people of this town and district supplied, besides providing a lasting memorial of the Great War.

Recently at Wanganui a successful Baby Carnival was held to raise funds for patriotic purposes. Why not hold a similar carnival here? The town and district could be divided as follows to give four baby candidates: —Citizens’ Baby, Patea Freezing Works Baby, Country Baby for district extending from the Whenuakura river to the Patea river, Country Baby for district extending from the Patea river to the Manawapou river. Two prizes could be given, one for the first baby and one for the second baby, according to the number of votes gained. Good working committees would be needed for each baby candidate, and it would rest with these committees to raise the necessary funds by way of entertainments, dances, bazaars, art unions, etc. All moneys raised by the separate committees would go to the purchase of tickets say at 6d each, each ticket to count one vote. Arrangements could be made with the local press to publish once or twice each week the position of eech baby candidate, and no doubt the picture company would do something to stimulate public interest by putting on the screens the number of votes gained by each candidate from time to time. To the baby candidate securing the first number of votes equivalent to £IOO a certain numbe r of free votes could be given, and so on, at the £2OO and £3OO mark. By such means additional interest would be added to the contest. Good information could be obtained from those connected with the Wanganui Baby Carnival. Then it would not take long to draw up a set of rules and commence the competition —the sooner the better, to procure the money required for work necessary to be done this winter so that the public will get thebenefit of the scheme next summer.