COOK MEMORIAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10772, 18 September 1906, Page 4

COOK MEMORIAL.

(To the Editor of the Herald.) Sir, —The dissatisfaction about tlie South African troopers' names being, placed on the Cook. Memorial appears to me to be more or less general, and reading your report of the Cook Memorial Committee, it is plain that they practically aciWowledge a mistake has been made, but tluey say m effect it is too late to remedy. We can all agree that when the Committee decided on this course they did it for the best, but if a mistake has been made it should not be perpetuated, but let it be faced and! remedied as speedily as possible. Tliere seem two elements m this question that the Committee cannot get over. The first point is: Tliat contributions luive beea received from all parts of the colony for a Cook Memorial pure and simple, to commemorate and mark the spot tine illustrious navigator first landed m this colony. That being so, it would be a breach of faith to use the memoi'ial to commemorate something else as well. The second is that the troopers themselves disapprove of wliat is being done, so far as their mind is known. Even Colonel Porter has written through, your columns disapproving of the names remaining. I would suggest to the Committee that they at once take steps to remove the troopers' names from the memorial. The names are not cut deep iv the stone, but merely cut through the polish of the stone, about a sixteenth, of an inch deep, and if tlie face of the stone cannot be repolished after they are removed I would suggest that a fresh slab of stone or a plate be got to go over the three sides used at present Toy the troopers' names, and on the fresh slabs to have inscribed more points of history surrounding Captain Cook's landing here. Tlie fact that this was the first land sighted by Captain Cook, tlie name of his ship, Captain Cook's christian name (which lias been omitted) should be shown, and the fact that the navigator's party had to shoot a native opposite the memorial might with other points be shown on the memorial with interest. It would be a simple matter to chisel off the polish m each of the squares which contains the troopers' names* before the unveiling ceremony takes place. It would not disfigure the memorial to any great extent; jndfeed, some might think it would give it a better appearance," as the stone would be shown m its natural color, as against the remaining, portion of the monument, which is polished, and if necessary there is ample room oil the base for any further information to be shown. If this is done the troopers' names might be put on a plate on tlie Band Rotunda at the Point, or steps be taken to obtain some other monument to commemorate the South African war. This alteration, no doubt, will cost a little money, and if the Committee has committed all its funds I am sure sufficient could> be readily subscribed to cover an- extra expense, and' nobody would begrudge it, so long as the mistake is rectified with a good spirit, and with as little delay as possible. The fact that the Patriotic Committee lias contributed a substantial sum towards the fund of tine memorial need not be overlooked, but some public movement could be start, ed to reimburse this fund, so that something else might be obtained to commemorate the war. —l am, etc., W. DOUGLAS LYSNAR.

(To the Editor of the Herald.) j Sir, — In reading your report of tlie meeting of the Cook Memorial Committee, all must agree tliat Mr Townley and Mr Gaudin are responsible for allowing! that piebald pillar, erroneously callec* Cook's Memorial, to remain. Mr Gaudin said : 'The people of Gisborne had no right to talk as they did, and the Committee had only got £30 or £40 locally. Theie was not one letter m tlie press that had the name of a subscriber to it." Now, sir, tliat is not correct, and Mr Gaudin did not try to defend his -actions, and he must remember the people of Gisborne should complain, seeing that the money was oolleeted all over New Zealand for a purpose to which it was not applied, and that the representation was misleading and that the pillar erected 1 is a disgrace to 1 Gisborne. and an insult to the memory of . Captain Cook. Then, why should not the people of Gisborne complain? Mr Townley said: "Cook was ail Empire builder, 6o were these men, and if the officers should be put there so should the privates," and "It was only m the minds of a few that this objection existed." Now, sir, I cannot see why the names of officers or privates should be on. If you wish to build a monument to those killed, by all means do so. but to build monuments to all who fought for the Empire for the last thousand years, you could fence m New Zealand with a monumental wall. Why, building (monuments to the living for doing their duty is simply absurd, and the town is rampant with indignation at the muddle made. Yet Mr Townley will not agree to rectify it. ; Why not postpone the unveiling till next year. The letters are only about an eighth of an inch deep, and could easily be chiselled off, and the face polished. Tlie Go. vernment subsidy was oDtained for a Cook j monument, and not for such a bauble as i has "been erected, which could be built for about £600,. although costing £1000. ! —I am, etc., E.P. JOYCE, j