PETONE WAR MEMORIAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 116, 10 February 1919, Page 6

PETONE WAR MEMORIAL

DISCUSSED BY A PUBLIC MEETING. . A public , meeting was lreld in the Council Chambers, i'etone, on Thursday evening to consider the question of erecting a suitable memorial to the men who had fallen in the war.' His Worship the Mayor (Mr. J. AV. M'Ewan) presided and placed before the meeting; two schemes which had been outlined at a meeting ;of the Peace Celebration Committee. The first scheme submitted provided for tho erection of a monument, of suitable design, at the intersection of Buick and JacKson Streets. Objections might, however, bu raised to a echemo of that sort in a public thoroughfare. Scheme No. 2 was to make the icecrealion Ground into a park, especially Nos. 2, 3, and i grounds, erect a memorial of suitable design in the centre, and also to erect a Town Hall on the ridge in a line with the Technical School. There might bo some ditficulty with thp young football players who used the grounds, but with' tlte largo playing area at the Hutt Park, these difficulties would not prove very ■ serious. •' Mr. M'Ewan stated that the second schemo found a good deal of favour,'; and he believed trom many points of view it would be much more desirable than having a memorial erected' in a busy thoroughfare, but whatever scheme was adopted it would require a strong working committee to devise various methods of raising funds. Mr. C N. Haelain said he thought something should be done. He also thought that' tho relatives of the men who had made the supreme sacrifice should be given an opportunity to express their opinion as to what form the memorial should take. His own personal opinion was that something of utilitarian nature should bo decided upon. The idea of erecting a Town Hall as a permanent memorial was an excellent one, and one of the designs placed before the meeting by Mr. Whittaker would form an excellent memorial inside the vestibule of such a hall. Mr. G. London favoured Mr. Haslam's idea that the memorial should take the shape of something utilitarian. His idea was that the council ehould secure a site where the first, settlers landed on Petone Beach and there erect a "Hall of Heroes," and in that building should bs preserved relics of this great war, and imperishable pictures of the men who made the great sacrifice. Mr. A. Hancock eaid he favoured an institution for,boys where they would be trained to emulate the example of the youths who went forward to do their bit for their country. It was to the boys they had to look, and if this idea of his was carried out they would be boys that would be a credit to the world Mr. Sibun said Mr. Hancock's itfea' was alon.sr the lines of a suggestion made by hini (Mr. Sibun) at a previous mosting. They could have no better memorial for the men who had given their lives that the rest might live in comfort.

Ihe suggestion of the institute for boys found favour with the majority present, and 'after some further discussion ' a committee, consisting of the Mayor (.Mr. J. AV. M'Ewan), the Rev. H I. Stealey, tvnd Messrs. D. Beddingfield! AV. Hartley-Davie, Whittoker, H. Sibun J Churchouse, J. Kyle, O. Lepper, S. A'ewlaud, &. London, A. Hancock, and C. Hnslam were appointed to go into tho various schemes suggested, with a view ot submitting a report to a meeting of the general public. The meeting then adjourned for. a fortnight. .