WAR MEMORIALS

Chronicle (Levin), 31 October 1946, Page 3

WAR MEMORIALS

GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDE The -following are - extracts taken from' a circular received by the Mayor (Mr. R. E. Downes) from the Hon: W. E. Parry,. Minister of Internal Affairs, in connection with the Government's policy with regard to wai- memorials. "You will remember that some five months.ago the Prime Minister made a publie statement that the Government was then considering the question of memorials to the men and women of New Zealand who paid the supreme saeriflce in the, Second World War of 1939-45, and indicated that its policy with regard .to subsidies would be announced later. "Ev'er since the question of war memorials has beeome a live one, my : offlcers have been gathering infdffflatiqn from the United Kingdom, other sections of the British Commonwealth and the United States on trends of thought and prbposals how under way in those countries. From time to time I propose to issue bulletins and circulars giving what, I hope,' will be ihformation of interest and value conceming war memorial activity both in New Zealand and abroad. Advice, too, will be given to all seeking it. Despite all this, I earnI estly recommend to local authorities contemplating the establishment of community centres as war memorials, themselves to set up consultative committees of their own expert offlcers and other qualified persons to plan and design to meet local requirements. I cannot too strongly emphasize that local needs must in every case determine the most appropriate form and scope of the centre. "This Government has no desire to force publie moneys on any district, but has decided, after long and deep . consideration, to make available to any district or locality, war memorial subsidies for the particular types of memorials, on the scale and sUbjeet to the conditions Imentioned. I have already emphaIsised that the nature of any local jwar memorial is entirely a matter j to be decided by the community I cohcerned, but the Government feels that the type which can most 'justifiably be subsidised oui of ! national funds is one that, while erebted or estnbiishod in reverem. memory of our glorions dead in gratitude for what they did to i ensuro the continuance of a world ; free from oppression, will be someI thing vitally living, something that I from the very nature of its use and ; enjoyfflent will ever keep before us ; and the generations that follow us j that freedom of life and personal ; expression for which our men and ' women fought and .fell. The Government feels that the type of j memorial which best embodies this ideal is the community centre, ! where the people can gather for i social, educational, cultural and .rqcreqtipnal purposes0 . t ( f "What exactly is 'a community ; centre is a question to which there f will never be a final answer, but it j is one that can be answered in gen- 1 ! eral terms which vary according to the size and situation of the community which the centre is intend- ! ed to serve. In its simplest form I j the community centre is embodied ' in the village hall, providing ; facilities for dances, shows and ■ meetings of all types, dramatic : presentations and concerts, and indbor games and recreafion, i , together with facilities for refreshments, a kitchen, or cafeteria. , Associated with such a building can be planned facilities for outdoor recreation. | "Subsidy will be paid on the basis : of £1 for £1 on moneys raised by ' direct contribution for community j centre war memorials approved by jthe Government. Before the subI sidy may be claimed, the memorial I must be approved. Two or . more i local authorities may combine for j the purpose of a .community centre j war piemorial to serve the people Lof the/d.istricts of such combining local auth.orities. • " • ; v ' ' ; " j "It will hB*-a condition of ' the granting of any subsidy that the approved war memorial shall be vested in the local authority, or one of the comhined local authorities, and that due provision is made to the satisfaetion of the Government for the maintenance and upkeep of the memorial, and for its management and permanent functioning as a community centre. "Moneys provided for appropriate symbolical features of a centre identifying it and dedicating it as a war memorial, including rolls of honour, will, of course, be eligible for subsidy. ' "It is generally recognised that where war memorials are to take the form of buildings, or are otherwise of such a nature that materials required or labour to be employed will conflict with the preseht national need for housing construction, work on them cannot begin for at least two or three years. That in itself may, however, be all to their ultimate advantage. The intervening period can be very advantageously spent in the raising of funds, and so planning to avoid the possibility of costly mistakes."