SOLDIERS’ MEMORIAL

Southland Times, Issue 19069, 2 March 1921, Page 6

SOLDIERS’ MEMORIAL

THE SOUTH INVERCARGILL SCHEME. ORIGINAL PLAN ADHERED TO. At a meeting of the South Invercargill Soldiers’ Memorial Committee last week the opinion was expressed by some of those present that owing to lack of support it might be advisable to modify the original idea of raising £lO5O. The meeting was poorly attended, and it was decided to hold an urgent meeting of the committee before deciding on anything definite. The meeting was held in the South Invercargill Town Hall last evening, Mr G. Holloway presiding over a large attendance. Jhe chairman, after referring to the object of the meeting, said that personally he would like to see the scheme as originally decided upon given a fair trial before modifying it in any way. Up till the present only a small portion of the district had been canvassed, and the committee did not have any definite information with regard to the support it was likely to receive. The fact that Invercargill had set out to erect a provincial memorial should not influence the people of South Invercargill to allow their own scheme to fall through, and he thought that at least the people should be canvessed and given the opportunity of saying whether they desired to contribute or not. He had been assured by Mr Butterfield, chairman of the St. George School Committee, that the school committee would support the proposal and as far as possible assist in raising the necessary amount. Mr J. Forrester said that he was still of the opinion that the original plans should be adhered to. He had been looking through the lists and it was apparent that the canvass had not been carried out with any thoroughness, especially during the last five months. That seemed to him to be the I whole trouble. He had met quite a large number of people who had not yet been approached. The committee should not give up until every house in the district had been canvassed. Mr Lyons expressed similar 'views, and said that it was not wise to throw cold water on the scheme until it had been given a fair trial. He had been canvassing with Mr Bridges and they had met with a fair amount of success. He moved that the canvassing be proceeded with. Mr Aburn seconded the motion, and said that if when the canvass had been finished it was found that a sufficient amount had not been raised to carry out the original plans some other scheme could be considerMr F. C. Jones was not optimistic with regard to the result of the canvass, and said that a great change had taken place in the attitude of many people with regard to the scheme since it was first mooted. It was no good telling the people that the committee was out to get £lO5O, because that amount would not be raised. It would be better to tell them that a memorial was to be erected in South Invercargill and on one of three sites —St. George School, the railway corner or on the corporation reserve. He held, however, that the main question to decide was whether the committee intended to abide by the £lO5O or to raise money for a memorial to be erected on one of these three sites.

Mr McChesney said that there was a great deal in what the previous speaker had said. Those who were conducting the canvass should have something definite to give the people, and above all to be able to tell them where the memorial was to be erected. The question of the site would play an important part in the canvassing.

Mr oJnes said that it would be at least six months before the committee would obtain any definite decision in regard to the railway site. If the committee could approach the Railway Department with a fairly large sum pf money in hand it was more likely to obtain the site than if it only had about £3OO or less than the ground was worth.

Mr Rose said that he was strongly of the opinion that a big effort should be made to raise the money for the original scheme.

Mr Bridges expressed the opinion that the people of South Invercargill would not forsake their own memorial for the provincial one. He would like to see the money raised solely by voluntary subscriptions. If the committee had to rely on bazaars to make up any deficiency after the canvass had been completed, it might as well have been taken out of the rates.

Mr Bain also spoke in favour of the original plan. Mr McChesney held that if sufficient money could not lie raised by voluntary subscriptions the remainder could be obtained by bazaars. People need not attend the bazaars unless they wanted to, and if the committee stopped at the canvass it would be breaking faith with the public. He thought it a pity that some members of the committee had not raised their objection to bazaars earlier.

On being put to the meeting the motion was carried unanimously.

Messrs G. Holloway, F. C. Jones and J. Forrester were appointed to interview Messrs Robertson and Rowe of the St. George school with regard to taking up school collections.

At this stage Mr McChesney stated that he was not quite satisfied with regard to the question of a site. The Railway Department had once definitely refused to grant the railway corner, and the committee was not likely to get it now. The people wanted to know where the memorial was going to be erected and he thought that the committee should come to some decision in the matter.

A member rose to a point of order and stated that he understood that a resolution dealing with the question of a site had been passed at a previous meeting. Another member said that the committee had something definite to put before the people and if they did not like to contribute to the memorial irrespective of the site, they could do the other thing. Mr McChesney was ruled out of order. Mr Jones said that the South Invercargill Soldiers’ Memorial Committee was getting its name up and he had been so frequently asked how the scheme was getting on that it was becoming positively painful. The only enthusiasm Le had seen displayed by the members was at the meetings and they seemed to lose it immediately they got outside. Now that the committee had come to a decision he thought that every member should do his utmost to make the scheme a success.