The Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, MARCH 28, 1887. THE JUBILEE MEMORIAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1518, 28 March 1887, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, MARCH 28, 1887. THE JUBILEE MEMORIAL.

While the Committee recently aj> pointed tor the purpose of taking step, towards establishing for Canterbury, as & whole, some suitable memorial oi ih< completion ol fifty years ot the leign oHer Most Guciuus Majesty rruy b> safe!/ depended upon to m ing to be.ii both intelligence and eneigy u^on it.t task they have taken m hand, it is wt < that the people of Ashburtou Count) and Jbo uugh should make up theii minds as to what form of metnotia should be locally adopted. Almost every centre of importance thioughou. the Queen's dominions will, besides juiuiug m the national celebration, establish some local memento ot the Jubilee, afd the Bnrough Council has done well to < ffcr to cooperate will- ' the County Council m an endeavor ii ascertain and carry out the wishes oi the people m this direction. We have no doubt the County authorities will cordially respond, and hope that the result will be to hit upon some proposal which will commend itseli to genet al approval, and which country and town residents will heartily join m carrying 1 into effect. Meantime various sugges i tions are beginning to find their way into our columns, and we shall be happy to &ive publication to any othtr idt-a;. lon the subject which can be brought forward, m order that the best of all possible suggestions may be chosen. Writing on Thursday. last M* C. ~VU Purntll advocated the erection of a handsome stone Memorial Cross or an o!*^ mcmal fountain m the Douiai* wl ie i, ys being county property, h> coitvidtjs :he most fcui'iiwlr site lor ;>' coumy memorial,. -.ttlM-'e ?■$ it i. ; ;s >v&il able to residents of Mr 'owi also, •• might be anticipated .'"> st the <-i\.cv-oi, ol a memorial m such a plaa would be regaided as a woik m which all could join without arousing auy ol that silly jealousy wt.ich seems to exi^ ir» all country districts as lowards ih. chief centres of population. The idea is a very good one, and it should be quite possible to raise the necessary funds, tven m these dull times, if onl> the *ork of canvassing be gone about systematically and with energy. Another correspondent, appending to his letter the initials " W T," wrote on Saturday suggesting that the memorial should take the form of a public clock, to bt erected m Baring Square East. This also it seems to as is an excellent idea. It is true that of necessity to be of use to visitors to the town such a clock must needs be erected within the borough and within view from the principal thoroughfare, but that would by no means make the clock a town affair only; indeed, it is precisely visistors from the country who would find it most useful as a means of ascertaining the correct time, and so regulating their own watches and clocks. In tbe event of this proposal being favored by our country friends, as well as by the residents of the town, we may suggest that enquiry should bo made as to whether the handsome iron clock tower, which has been standing for years unutilised m the yards of the Christchurch City Council, could be purchased for a low figure. If so, it might' be erected on a base of Mount Somers stone, and, furnished with a four-dial clock with illuminable faces, it would be not only an ornament to the Square, but would be a prominent object both by day *nd night. We should fancy that the tower might be obtained at a reasonable figure — it has been treated as if so much lumber m ChrUtchurch for something like twenty years — at anyrate it is worth while making enquiry into the matter if tht public clock idea is at all likely to be adopted. There may be other proposals yet to be made, but if so they should now be brought forward with a view to the adoption of the best.