WAR MEMORIAL.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16429, 24 January 1919, Page 6

WAR MEMORIAL.

RETURNED SOLDIERS' SCHEME. VIEWS OF THE MAYOR. Speaking to a representative of "Tho Press" yesterday the Mayor (Mr HHolland) very cordially approved of the decisiou of the Building Committee of tho .Returned Soldiers' Association to throw in their lot with the larger proposal of erecting a memorial worthy of the Province, tho men who fought and who died, and worthy of the occasion. This, lie said, removed a dilhculty, making it now possible to call a meeting or comerenco to consider tno form or a Provincial Memorial. This will take place at an early date. There were 0110 or two misapprehensions in connexion with the proposed club which, the Mayor said, lio would like to remove. '1 no first was a fear on the part of some who were afraid that tiio club niignt secure a charter and thus exorcise a bad inlluouce on the returned men. lio would like to assure the public there was no danger in this respect. "I have been chairman of tho club for about two years," Mr Holland continued, "and have had aiuplo opportunities of forming an opinion on the working of the club. No liquor, betting, or bad language is allowed on the premises, and the influonce in the club is good. The committee of management is composed of several returned soldiers, and a number of liighly-ostecm-ed citizens, all of whom havo the test interests of the returned men at heart. The new property purchased in Gloucester street, is vested in Colonel the Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes and myself, as trustees, and the public may feel quit© sure neither Mr Rhodes nor mysolf will consent to the property being used as a chartered club, and I am satisfiod that the Association will resist any such attempt. There are also some who fear that a club will retard tho men getting back into civilian life. The club's past history shows the very opposite to be the case; as a matter of fact, it has tieon instrumental in placing large numbers of men in suitable positions; indeed, this is an important plank in its platform. Of the 2000 members at present enrolled, nearly all are in business of some kind or other. "Tho need for a now club is urgent, as the present accommodation is quite inadequate; many of the wounded men can get very little benefit from membership, owing to tho steep, narrow stairs to climb. The policy of the club is to provide clean, wholesome, recreation and amusement for the evenings. It must be remembered that many men have no homes of their own, and the desire is to provide a meeting home for thom. It is surely preferablo to provide such a club, conducted on sound pVincioles, than to leave the men to wander about the streets, exposed to all the temptations besetting a returned soldier's path.

"Three or four thousand more men will be returning shortly, and it is due to them, and also to those who have re--1 turned, that some provision should be 3 made for their comfort. I can with b every confidence recommend the public - to subscribe generously and promptly." • DUNEDIN PROPOSES A TOWN HALL. ' ( (special to "the fbkss.") • DUNEDIN, January 23. 5 The City Council propose to erect a r Town HaU as a memorial to returned 1 soldiers. j 1 THE SOLDIER'S"" MEMORIAL. TO TDK EDITOB 01* "TH* tmESS." ' , Sir, —Before forwarding my letter to you on the above isubject it was sub- , mitted to the president of the Returned : Soldiers' Association, and received his full approval. Other members of the ■ executive have <6ince expressed their agreement. You are mistaken' in thinking that I the joint scheme proposed by the R.S.A. was meant to represent the chief war memorial of Canterbury. In the official appeal of the Building Committee,, a copy of which I have pleasure in forwarding, it is clearly and definitely stated: —"This proposal is not put forward as a scheme for a National War Memorial; its scope is much less ambitious. The people of Cnterbury will probably decide to erect a noble pilo in the heart of the city to perpetuate all the activities of the province in the great war. The present scheme is in 110 sense a competitor with any such proposal. It is a plea by soldiers for soldiers, and as such they are confident it will meet with a generous response." For over twelve months special attention has been given to the scheme by the former Building Committee. It was in September last when, in order not to interfere with other appeals, it was decided to postpone the soldiers' appeal until February or March. When the armistice was _ signed, which brought peace within sight, it was deemed advisable to proceed at once, 60 that it would tin no way clash with the appeal for the larger memorial. Already several definite schemes' have been launched, ana "others are being arranged for, but the significant fact is that the only one which has been opposed in the newspapers is the one proposed by returned soldiers. I would assure you that the desiro of the R.S.A. for the realisation of the joint scheme is as strong as ever, and if it were taken up i n the right spirit, assisted by our newspapers, it would not seriously militate against the success of the Provincial War Memorial.— i'ours, etc., W. WALKER. New Brighton. • rWe do not wish to prolong this controversy. Whatever may have been the original intentidn of those responsible there is no donbt that the appeal for the "Hall of Memories" did in actual fact clash with the movement for the larger memorial, and it was practical experience of this fact which led the committee to withdraw the original proposal and confine the appeal for funds for a Soldiers' Club.-< Ed. "The Press."!