BAND ROTUNDA DECIDED UPON.

Colonist, Volume LIII, Issue 13168, 26 July 1911, Page 6 (Supplement)

BAND ROTUNDA DECIDED UPON.

SITE AT MILTON'S ACRE,

(From "The Colonist," July 11)

The Mayor, Mr. T. A. H. Field, presided over a fair attendance or subscribers to the Pitt Memorial in tho Council Chambers last evening. The chairman apologised for the absence of the Rev. J. H. AlacKonzie. He said that a new phase of tho Memorial movement had now been entered upon, following the offer of Mr. Cawthron to erect the Church Stops. He then explained what took place at the interview with the Hon. It. McKenzie last week. The business before the meeting was to decide what form the memorial should take.

Following the invitation of tho chairman/Mr. C. Y. Fell reviewed the movement as it had progressed during tho past few months. Several neusuggestions had been made, as to what form the new memorial should take, at the last meeting attended by tho Hon. R. McKenzie. - Tlie proposal to erect a children's ward was apparently what the fami'y of the late Col. Pitt desired, but another idea was to provide necessary funds for a nurses' home. A liberal contribution had been offered for the steps by the City Council as the work was a public ono, but the Council would not give this sum to the nurses' home or children's ward. It would not be willing to give money to an object which benefited the country as well as the town. Another suggestion was for marine baths, and nothing | would please the speaker more than to see these instituted. He, however, thought there was not enough money for baths. A rotunda on Mi.tons Acre would look well for the city, csnocially for ; people coming from the Port. Yet a further suggestion was for the reclamation of about^five or six acres of mud-flat near Milton's Acre for a Dark, to be called the Pitt Park. The Hon. McKenzie favoured this suggestion as a good one. No doubt when' the Cabinet ' discussed; the Church Stops proposal it -thought it was some-; tiling in connection with the Anglican! Church Tlie proposal for a statue was unfitting: the nurses' home and child-.-reV.s ward impossible; the rotunda wns the cheapest; the baths the best; and if they could not get these they should take the park. A letter was then read from Mr. Colin Campbell as lolIbVs:—»

"Sir.—-Jn re form of Pitt Memorial' to be debated -to-night, I have the i honour, as the initiator of the movement to erect a statue to tho late Colonel Albert Pitt, to enclose a list of signatuios of subscribers, both large and small, of various occupations and positions, to tlie above fund and object throughout Nelson city alone, collected in & few hours, two of them being new subscribers, signing for the one purpose common to all of not devoting the money (collected for the specific purpose of a. statue and duly" advertised for a year unaltered) to anyother purpose. After perusal kindly leave at the office of the City.Council addressed to me { that I may got it to send to the Minister representing the Government grant, with other signatures there has been no time to get meanwhile. As I shall not be present, I would esteem it a favour if it was read aloud (at least the heading) by yourself, and the photograph of the sculpture of the late Mr. Seddon by Mr Nelson Illingworth should also be shown, as proof of his talent and ability. As my letter on the subject revolves the question in all lights, I enc'ose-. a copy for reference or reading. In conclusion I can but lament that new issues have been raised, and projects mooted to benefit the town, rathor than honour the dead, or perpetuate the memory of one, whom so many more outside of Nelson have helped to contribute to the fund for, and which should remind us of not alone seeking to benefit the town materially. I am, etc., Colin Campbell. N.B. It should be borne in mind how no needless divergence of opinion existed over the Trask Memorial, yet it was not advertised* (as has this from th? start) to take any specific form. C.C

Appended was a petition, signed by sixteen names, advocating the purchase of a statue costing about £6220.

Mr. Fell said that Mr. Campbell's movement was a failure till Capt. Stiles took it in hand. Mr. CV J. Harley said lie supported Mr. Campbell's suggestion and that the fund would never have been in

11 existence if it had not been for Mr > I Campbell. The object of the memorial had been lost sight of." The people , present seemed to think that all that was to be done was to get a liseful i tiling for tho town. It would be bet--1 ter to erect a memorial which would i keep Col. Pitt's memory green in the , land. Why not have a statue, a port- . rait, a monument at his grave, or a stained glass window in the church H i Where would Col. Pitt's memory api pear in a baths which decay, or a , park of mud flats where the sewerage . ran? If the private people who sub- ■ scribed £200 knew that it would be ■ | sunk in a mud hole tney would not ■ | have subscribed a penny. If the local • solicitors'had been asked to subscribe - the money for a nurses' home they ; would not have given a copper, nor • j would members of Parliament. He, hoped that thay would at any rate de- - vote some money to a window or port-' . i rait, besides the great utility schemes I put forward. Nerer again in Nelson . would he give money to a subscription j list until lie knew what it was to be . | devoted to. 1 Mr. Fell said ho wondered what better memorial .the deceased Colonel - fould have than a. mud hole being i made into a lovely park/Would this not -. be infinitely better than to have the 1 statue perhaps defaced like that of - John Ballance, in Wellington. This ' statue was a horrible one and now was | i ghast.y to look upon. A picture of a I i dead man could not be painted unless . lip was well known to the artist before > his death. Not one person in a hundred . thousand would sco a monument at a > grave. At tho park there would bo ( stones, etc., as permanent tokens to ! tho memory of Colonel Pitt. One could . never tell what was going to be done | with money subscribed for a matter . like this, until it was seen how the i public supported the movement, so on ; that basis Mr. Harley would never t again subscribe to a tiling of this na- i j turo. i i Mr. Harley: Is not a statue the I usual form of memorial ? ■ Mr. Fell: No! It is not. There are . many in existence, but only about two I; of the many in London are worth i : looking at, the rest being miserable . .' representations of the original. i i Mr. F. Graham,advocated a recrea- ; i tion ground, which, being used by all • : the children of the place, would 'pre- « serve in thoir memory from childhood [ the recollection of the man in whose - memory the ground was constructed. Jir. J. P. ?1 ayes supported Mr. Har- [ Icy. He did not know if the statue !| of John Ballance was a ghastly one, , but a statue was the generally Vecog- ■ nised form of memorial. If expended ■ in baths, recreation ground or hospital : institutions they were spending the ■ money subscribed all over- New Zea- , laud on that which should be provided j i by the Nelson people. ' Mr. W. Rogers said his idea was the erection of a'band rotunda of granite. He did not know a great deal about statues, but he did not approve of one. ■ The rotunda was well within ' their means and lie was afraid a statue would cost about £2000. The secretary said the statue of Mr Seddon cost £3000. Mr. H. L. Fowler advocated a medallion and a rotunda. Mr. T. Pettit wanted something useful. If the rotunda scheme was feasible ho would support it, but he thought the park would cost much more than £800. He wanted all ami only the money collected to be devoted to the memorial. ' Mr. C. J. Harley said that a rotunda, if it had something on it showing that it was in commemoration of Col. Pitt, would be one of the most sensible courses that could be followed. He also thought the City Council would give the money to this form of memorial. Mr. Rogers moved: "That tho Pitt Memorial take the form of. a band rotunda on Milton's Acre,- it to contain a medallion or a bust." Mr. Fell said this was a good way of settling the question. The motion proposed contained what Mr. 'Harley wanted, and was useful as the speaker wanted. If the resolution was carried it would mean that instead of carrying out. tho steps proposal tlie rotunda would be proceeded with at once Mr. J. P. Hayes said Col. Pitt al--ways took an interest in such* matters as band rotundas being a volunteer officer. The secretary, Capt. Stiles, supported the suggestion,"pointing out how Ooi. 1 ltt had interested himself in the volunteer movement, and how he appreciated the bands in connection therewith. Mr. Fell suggested that the Botanical Gardens would be a more suitable pwc? for the structure, especially for a largo mooting, such as that adr'dessed by Mr. Seddon some years ago Mr. H L. Fowler M id that probp.bly land .would before long be reclaimed at tho back of Milton's Aero, and tins would improve its position. It was decided., on the motion of Mr. Pettit. seconded by Mr. Fell, that the word "bust" be deleted from the motion.-

The amended motion was carried unanimously. The selection of the designs for the rotunda was left to the committee.