NOT DESIRED

Southland Times, Issue 21089, 22 May 1930, Page 5

NOT DESIRED

CHANGE OF NAME VIEWS OF THE MAN IN THE STREET “INVERCARGILL” GOOD ENOUGH In such a matter as the change of the name of the city the opinion of tho’ man in the street is a valuable guide. Yesterday reporters accosted a number of people and asked them to express their opinions on the City Council’s suggestion that the name “Invercargill” be altered to “Cargill” or some other supposedly more euphonious and more philologically correct name. Those approached were overwhelmingly opposed*to the change, although here and there a man favoured it. The opinions were as follows: * * * ■> “I may be a suspicious Scot, but I think the suggested change would prove most lucrative to the lawyers—and there are a good many counsel on the council.” . “I agree with Councillor O’Byrne that the name Invercargill is one to be proud of when one is travelling abroad. It would be little short of a crime to alter it.” ♦ * * * “A good many Scotsmen must be amused when they see the word ‘lnvercargill,’ which ,is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. It’s high time a change was made.” * * * * “The word ‘lnver’ means where a river empties itself into the sea. Perhaps Captain Cargill made a trip across Foveaux Strait 'on the Theresa Ward before the town was named.” * * * # “The name, Invercargill, may be regarded as a nomenclatural incongruity, but the city has not got that on its own. In any case, when one hears the name of any town or place one does not bother to look up its meaning. How many people know the origin or derivation of all the place-names in New Zealand?” * * * $ “You will never get all the organizations and institutions whose name begins with •‘lnvercargill’ to alter the word.” * * * “No matter what may be said of the meaning of the word ‘lnvercargill’ it is a fine sounding Scotch name and should not bo changed.” * X- * “It is an absolute absurdity to even consider changing the 'name. At the present time the Government has launched an aggressive'tourist policy abroad and Invercargill is becoming known far and wide. Why cause confusion?” * * * “I am quite in favour of the change of name, but provided—and provided oniy—that the city be designated as ‘The South Pole’ or by some other appropriate nomenclature.” * * * “The retention of the' name will always be a tribute to the efforts of the pioneers. Many a business firm is only too proud to trade under the designation of a founder, many years deceased ! In fact, it is not always a question of sentiment in such a case —it Is a matter of business acumen. Invercargill was thought a worthy name in the past; let it so continue to be in the future.” « » * » . “So some of our councillors have caught the ultra-progressive germ! Well, the public have pounced .on it, isolated it, examined it, got it under glass. But the ‘Changing-the-name’ germ can be destroyed and the disease it has stimulated over-night can be cured. Yes, there is no occasion for panic so.long as we tackle the trouble coolly and' stamp it out, root and branch.” « * «• « “What does it matter if Invercargill is not at the mouth of the Cargill? Many a boardinghouse I have stayed at has been called ‘Belle Vue,’ but it looked out upon a monotonous, swampy marsh.” «• * . * « “I heartily abhor having to make business trips to the north, for I am generally assailed by slow drizzles trickling from leaky, gray skies. My overcoat grows lichenous and green and smells like a damp blanket. My hat brim discharges cascades of pure rain water down an already sodden collar. Can you wonder, therefore, at my. emotions of joy when, as the 9 p.m. express steams into Southland’s capital, the word ‘lnvercargill’ on the railway platform strikes my eyes? Why, the very name conjures up that of ‘The City of everlasting sunshine!’ of ‘Paradise Regained’ and that of the town which gave political birth to Sir Joseph Ward.” * * * * “From a pro bono publico viewpoint, it would be a splendid idea to give the city a new title. A £lOOO nugget could be lifted from the Kawarau and offered as the first prize to the one who suggests what, in the popular vote, is the most appropriate name for Southland’s capital. Two and six entrance fee could be charged for each competitor and the total amount paid in such respect could be handed over to the City Council to ease' the unemployment contretemps.” , » * * * ■ “The uttering, with a teaspoonful of water added, of the word ‘lnvercargill’ three times a day after meals is the finest form of intellectual gymnastics of which I am aware. For that reason, alone, the name should be allowed to rest in peace.” “Some years ago when Webb forged ahead of Barry in the world’s championship sculling race on the Wanganui River, the town of Wanganui, where'ihe victor resided, verily ran amuck. The town clock jazzed around, the hero was feted near and wide, and champagne flowed along the gutters. Then burst forth a tumultous proposal to change the name of the town to Webbville. Zounds! But the agitation was not adopted. Once is be decided to change the name of Invercargill, there would ensue a like hue and cry as to its substitute. The ‘Holdenites’ would be at daggers drawn with the ‘Hazlettites,’ while civil war would be threatened. And supposing a decision was ultimately arrived at, would it not be liable to be rescinded in the near future should a prominent golfer complete the course in 66? Let’s have peace on earth and goodwill towards men and let the matter drop!” “INVERCARGILL.” To the Editor. Sir, —As an old resident of this city, I am interested in the proposal to change its name. I really don’t know whether I am in favour of the proposal or not. Old associations and the conservative in me predispose *me against it, but in this matter we have to take a long view. One thing is quite certain, I think, that if we were deciding for the first time what should be the name of this fair city and it were proposed that, as against other and more appropriate names that might be suggested, the name! of the city should be “Invercargill” it would meet with short shrift even from those who see, or affect to see, in it a beauty which, of course, is non-exist-ent. Apart from the fact that it is admittedly a “philological absurdity” there are some practical objections which might be urged against it. Reference was made at the council table to the names of northern cities, and certainly some of these cities, Dunedin for example, have been fortunate in their names. My own objection to the name is the difficulty of pronouncing it and the variety of ways in which it actually is pronounced. It lends itself so easily to “slurring.” I believe that if the pronunciation of the name by our city fathers, for example, were carefully observed, it would be found that each of them pronounces it with a difference. In some cases the difference would be found to be quite marked. His Worship the Mayor, for instance, nearly always makes the final syllables “-cargull,” others say “-cargle” or “-caghle,” and some may, with an effort, get it correctly and say “-cargill.” I have Jieard the name pronounced fay educated

Scotchmen with the accent on the last syllable, that is, on the “-gill” instead of on the “-car” as we pronounce it. If that method (which I believe to be correct), were adopted, the objectionable slurring would be avoided. We would have “-cargill” instead of the “-cargull,” “cargle” or “-caghle” which we constantly hear. As a Scotsman I would object to the name “Cargill” unless it were pronounced in the genuine Scotch fashion with the accent on the last syllable.—l am, etc, CITIZEN. STRONG OPPOSITION EX-SOUTIILANDERS IN CHRIST CHURCH. (Special to the Times.) Christchurch, May 21. That the proposal to change the name Invercargill made at the Invercargill City Council meeting last night will arouse very strong opposition was indicated by the opinions of three ex-Southlanders now resident in Christchurch who gave interviews on the subject to the Star this morning. “Like Councillor Brodrick, I think it is the most absurd suggestion I have ever heard,” said Mr T. D. Lennie, president of the local .Southlanders’ Society. “The name Invercargill may have been somewhat in the nature of a misnomer, but it was given by. pioneers and it is certainly not an ugly sounding name. The name is known all over the world. I shall certainly do all in my power to oppose any change at all.” Mr Lennie expressed his intention of bringing the matter before the next meeting of the Southlanders’ Soicety. ' Mr A. B. Lane, a former resident of Invercargill, expressed surprise that the proposal to change the name could be brought forward seriously. The people of Invercargill were very proud of their city and he believed that they were sincerely attached to the name. Invercargill was named after Captain Cargill, one of the most prominent figures among the Otago pioneers, and no name in the province was more honoured than his. “It is interesting,” said Mr Lane, “that the proposed change of name came from Mr Macalister, who is representative of an old and highly esteemed Scottish family in Invercargill. Of the two opponents of the change, Mr C. J. Brodrick is an Englishman and Mr Tom O’Byrne is of Irish descent. We have an Englishman and an Irishman defending a Scottish name against a New Zealander of Scottish ancestry.” Mr Lane added that “Inver” meant ‘at the mouth of,’ and to some extent Invercargill was a misnomer as the city was built on an estuary, but nowhere near the mouth. The name was a euphonious one and Mr Lane believed that the citizens of Invercargill would never countenance a departure from it. Another ex-Southlander to express strong disagreement with the proposed change was Mr F. W, Gresham. “Someone has been pulling Mr Macalister’s leg,” was his theory. “Invercargill is known all over the world as one of the sweetest and happiest places in New Zealand,” said Mr Gresham, “and besides thousands in this country there would be many in other parts of the world to hear with deepest regret any change in the name.” ' Mr Alex. Sutherland, who is in Christchurch at present judging at the competitions, defines the proposal as a great mistake. He has never heard the name condemned down there. ‘The Chamber of Commerce and similar bodies, as well as the whole of the public, would never countenance it” he said.