DOMINION CENTENARY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 144, 19 June 1936, Page 8

DOMINION CENTENARY

CELEBRATION IN 1940 t f GOVERNMENT’S POLICY DECISIONS NATIONAL AND LOCAL MEMORIALS WELLINGTON TO HOLD EXHIBITION [ Ter Press Association. 1 WELLINGTON, June 18. Policy decisions of the Government in the preparations for the celebration in 1940 of New Zealand’s Centenary were placed before the National Centennial Committee by the chairman, the Hon. W. E. Pary, Minister of Internal Affairs, when the committee assembled in the Government Buildings to-day. The Government, said Mr. Parry, has decided that the event should be celebrated:—(l) By permanent memorials, including a national memorial to be erected by the Government; (2) by a series of historical surveys of the first 100 years of New Zealand s national life; and (3) by suitable celebrations, both national and local, throughout 1940. Apart from the cost of the national memorial and the historical surveys, the Government contemplated providing £250,000 for the celebrations.

On the question of permanent memorials. Mr. Parry said that the Government would provide the cost of, and would erect, a permanent national memorial. Further than that he could not go at present. The form of the memorial was under consideration by the Government, and an nnouncement would be made in due course by the prime Minister. The Government would make provision for subsidising moneys raised locally for memorials. The subsidy would be granted only in respect of memorials that were duly approved. Historical Surveys. The matter of a series of historical surveys of the lirst hundred years was one on which he personally had been very keen from the time he first began to consider the centennial. A special national committee would be required to be set up at an early date to go fully into the question. He visualised the publication of a series of works written by the most competent authorities in New Zealand on every phase of our national life, and written, moreover, for general reading as well as for the purposes of historical record. As to the actual celebrations, which question was of most general interest to the people of New Zealand, the Government felt that the celebrations should be divided into five classes, as follows:—(a) Celebrations of events of national importance which occurred in 1840. these celebrations to be held at the places where the events celebrated actually occurred. In this connection it was sufficient to quote by way of example the absurdity of celebrating the centennial of Waitangi elsewhere than at Waitangi, or the centennial of the proclamation of sovereigty over the South Island elsewhere than at Akaroa. (b) Purely local celebrations in honour of the centennial. These local celebrations themselves were immediately divisible into two classes, firstly, those celebrating in a particular locality an actual event which occurred there in 1840; secondly, those celebrations in particular localities not referable to any event which happened in that locality in 1840, but generally in hon- | our of the centennial. (c) Special Maori celebrations. Obviously, a very important part would be taken by out Native race in the celebrations of 1840, not only at Waitangi, but at Rotorua and other centres of Maori population, and also, he should say, in connection with any pageants dealing with early European settlement. (d) An exhibition at Wellington No doubt they were all anxious to hear the Government’s attitude towards the Wellington Exhibition proposal. The Government did not favour an exhibition as the only, or even as the predominating. fea x nr? of the centennial, but did favour it as an essential feature cf th? celebrations. The Government wes favourable to exhibition control being similar to that of Dunedin in 1925-26, namely, by a public company. Furfther the Government concurred in the view generally expressed that the exhibition should be held in Wellington. Government Help. The Wellington committee, which was at present fathering the exhibition proposal, continued Mr. Parry, visualised a company with a capital of £200,0U0. To that, the Government had no objection, and it cordially hoped that the people of New Zealand would respond in a national way to any appeal for share capital in connection vith the formation of the company. The Wellington committee, however, asked both the previous and the present Governments for financial hblp to the extent of £190,000 by way of grant, that was as a free gift and £5O 000 by way of share capital. Frankly, it was impossible for the Government to consider financial help for the exhibition on such a scale as that, in view of the very large sum the Government would have to provide in connection with the national memorial and celebrations, and subsidies for local memorials and celebrations, as well as for the series of historical surveys, the entertainment of Government guests and tourist and

publicity-expenditure. It must not be forgotten also that whatever help the Government gave towards financing the exhibition proposal, ihat would not be the full extent of Government exhibition expenditure. It cost, the Government of the day £30,000 for Government courts and exhibits at the Dunedin Exhibition, and if the Wellington Exhibition was on the same scale, at least that sum would be required in 1940. Further, the Government was unable to agree to making a preliminary advance to help in the formation cf the company. Any direst financial benefit from the exhibition would, for the most part, fall to the lot of Wellington city and its people, and it was reasonable to expect, therefore, willingness on the part of Wellington to subscribe the small amount necessary to float the company The Government felt that if any preliminary publi.*, moneys were put into the exhibition there would be a danger of people generally, feeling that the Government would, whatever happened, meet the cost, and that public subscription of sharp capital would accordingly be on a relatively small scale. A Loan Free of Interest. What the Government was prepared to do once the company was formed was to make a loan, free of interest, not exceeding £25,000 and a subsidy of £1 for every £2 of subscribed share capital up to a limit of £50,000. Thus, if only £lOO,OOO were publicly subscribed. the Government would contribute £75.000 by way of loan and subsidy, making :i total capital of £175,000, which, incidentally, was considerably more than the capital that was found necessary to run the Dunedin Exhibition. (e) Special tourist attractions for overseas visitors. These would have to be arranged later on and special care would be taken to co-ordinate them with the general scheme of the Centennial celebrations. G-overment Expenditure. | Apart’from th* cost of the national memorial and th 3 historical surveys, the Government contemplated providing £250,000 for Centennial celebrations to be expended as follows:—(a) Up to a maximum of £75,000 loan and subsidy for the exhibition, and (b) the balance of £175,000 for (1) national celebrations held by the Government itself or by provicial organisations on behalf of the Goverment, and (2) subsidising on a basis of £1 for £3 moneys raised locally for local celebrations or memorials. In addition to all this, the Government would itself bear the cost of suitably entertaining guests from abroad invited by the Government, and would also, between now and 1949, suitably increase the vote of the Tourist and Publicity Department for the purpose of advertising the Centennial abroad, and providing the special tourist attractions for visitors. The Mayor of Wellington, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, expressed the view strongly that it would be no use considering the establishment of a worthy e.xhibi tion with a maximum Government contribution of £75,000, which was lower than the assistance granted to the Dunedin Exhibition, though the occa-sic-n was much more important. He suggested £125,000, the public of New Zealand to find the same amount. No finality was reached on Mr. Hislop’s suggestion, but the conference agreed that the Government’s I contribution to the total commemorations throughout the Dominion was very generous. The Mayor of Auckland, Mr. E. Davis, suggested that the local contributions should be subsidised £1 to £2, not £3. On this also further representations*will be maGe. The Hou. W. Parry again emphasised tnv necessity of the celebrations being regarded from a national and not a parochial point of view. Various committees for historical research, Press, tourist, and publicity, and Maori participation are to be set up.