THE ROLL OF FAME.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1873, 6 October 1913, Page 4

THE ROLL OF FAME.

' NAMES IN BRASS AND STONE. Tlioro has been so mo good-humoured" banter in the House of- Representatives lately about the eagerness displayed by.. members of successive Ministries to inscribe their names upon tho foundation stones of public buildings and upon tablots recording tho fact of their being opened foi- business. A notable example is tho foundation atone of tho now Parliamentary Buildings, which was formally laid eighteen months ago, before Sir Joseph Ward left office, although no contract for tho erection ofl, tho building has yot been let. In tho Houso on Wednesday last Sir. Ell said that tho members of tho present Government had been very anxious to havo their names inscribed upon tho now Post Office at Wellington, but tho short-lived Mackenzie Ministry, of which Mr. Ell was a mombor. established a record in regard to foundation stones and similar things that vrOTlld take a lot of beating. _ At least four post officeß m different parts of the Dominion are adorned with namos of a member or members of tho Mackonzio Ministry. _On the Rangiwahia Post Offico tlioro is a brasJ tablet bearing tho namo of Mr. Ell, Tho brass tablet upon tho Putaruru Post Office has a history. The story goes that it was prepared in tho first place for a post office in another town, \ and boro the namo of Mr. Ell, as Post-master-General. Eventually, howover, Mr. Ell found that ho was ta got away to attend tho projected coremony. Tho namo of that town was deletod from tho inscription on tho tablet, and it was divorted from its original purpose, and sont to Putaruru^ Tho post offico at Otauo boasts a' marblo tablet with tho inscription: "This stono was laid by tho Hon. J. A« Hanan, Minister of Justice and Education, Juno 22, 1912. H. G. 1511, Tost-niaster-Goneral, W. 1). S. MacDouald, Minister of Public Works." This inscription appeared in tho first instance on a wooden slab. It was not until July 4 that a marblo slab, to rcplaco the wooden slab, was-ordered, and tho Ministry. went out of offico six days later. Auothor tablet dating from tho timo of tho Maclconnio Ministry is to bo found on tho post offico at Balclutlia. Tho inscription upon it reads: "Tins post office was opened by tho Hon. Thomas Mackenzie, F.R.G.S., Friino Minister of Now Zealand, May 4, 1912." The practice now in vogue is to provide now post offices with tablets ouly when the local residents request that this should bo done. Tlioro . aro no tablots on tho post ofiiccs at Awakino, Kaitangata, and Kaiworra, opened during the term of tho present Ministry, but there is a tablet on the post off.ee at Ravensbounio.