PLANS FOR CENTENNIAL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19106, 29 August 1936, Page 4

PLANS FOR CENTENNIAL

GISBORNE PRAISED THE MINISTER PLEASED LADY GALWAY’S INTEREST Preparations made for the centennial celebrations in the Gisborne and East Coast provincial district were praised by the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry, when speaking at the centennial conference in Wellington last week. Mr. Charles Matthews, chairman of the Cook County Council, referred to this to-day, when discussing his visit to Wellington, from which he returned yesterday. He said that the Minister, when welcoming the delegates, congratulated Gisborne and the East Coast district on the progress it had made with the draft programme, which was more comprehensive so far than that of any other provincial district.

During the centennial conference, Mr. Matthews proceeded, a strong point was made of the uniform adoption of the word centennial in order to obviate misunderstandings and difficulties in pronunciation. The necessity was stressed of the word centennial in all correspondence and public announcements.

The Minister was with the conference during the whole of the morning, and the conference was under the control of the Mayor of Wellington, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, in the afternoon, when the party was shown over the new National Art Gallery and Dominion Museum, where the Gisborne members of the party were particularly interested in the ” Maori meeting-house of great antiquity from this district.

Men w-ere still engaged in completing the Gisborne Maori house. The front section was complete, but much remained to be done inside. The curving was in a wonderful state of. preservation, considering the centuries through which it had passed, first in the Hangaroa district and then at Manutukc, before being acquired by the Government.

The Poverty Bay delegation, Mr. Matthews added, w-as fortunate in being shown round by Dr. Oliver, director of the museum, who explained the intimate associations of the departments and the work being dono in the workshops.

Mr. Matthews added that he was Dresented to Lady Galway, who was paying an unofficial visit to the new building. Her Excellency expressed pleasure at having renewed the acquaintance, and said she and His Excellency both retained happy recollections of their visit to Gisborne, and were looking forward to making another, trip. GISBORNE PROVINCE RETENTION ADVOCATED MINISTER APPROACHED With a view to having the Gisborne and East Coast provincial district in regard to the centennial celebrations retained for all time, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon., W. E. Parry, was approached by Mr. Charles Matthews, chairman of the _ Cook County Council, while in Wellington during the week. The Minister was asked-to consider the matter of the permanent establishment of the counties of Cook, Waikohu, Uawa, Waiapu and Matakaoa, together with the Borough of Gisborne, as a separate provincial district. It was pointed out tjjat the centennial organisation had seen fit to make that area a separate provincial district, and in view of its geographical situation and historic associations, Mr. Matthews pointed out, the district as outlined would make a suitable province.

Mr. Parry said that the proposal was a new one to him. He did not know what benefits could be secured, but saw no barm in it.

"The reply was non-committal,” Mr. Matthews said, “but I gained the impression that. if pressure was brought to bear something might be gained by pressing the matter."