MAORI WAR MEMORIAL

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 18, 22 January 1924, Page 2

MAORI WAR MEMORIAL

ACTION OF LOWER HUTT BOROUGH COUNCIL

The following letter from the Department of Internal. Affairs has been received by the Mayor of Lower Hutt in regard to the war memorial stone recently transferred to Lower Hutt from tlie Sydney Street Cemetery by permission from the City Council:—" My Department has been approached relative to the recent removal from Syd. ney btreet Cemetery of a memorial stone inscribed to the memory of Sergeant Ingram-and the men of the 58th Regiment who fell; while deeding their past at the Hutt against tl le attack made upon it by the rebel Natives, and to its proposed erection by your council on the spot where the last stand was made. • ■ ■ - ■■.

; • " In connection therewith I beg to inform you that the car e of the grave? of Maori veterans, historical graves, the graves of Allied naval forces, -and the graves of those who died during the Great War, has been placed under'the control of my-Department, and a Dominion programme is now under action In regard, to the Sydney Street Cemetery in particular, instructions have been given for data regarding the %var graves there to-be prepared, and in the Estimates: this coming session of Parliament ;it is proposed to provide for the cost of renovating these, as well as for le-erecting a ny memorial, stones which have fallen down,(and the! stone to Sergeant Ingram and the men of the 58th, Kegunent is a .case in point), cither on •^possST 1 "^ °V " .dMB thereto

_ •" Your .council's action in perpetuating the memory of the gallant defence rf'^Vi,oß^ the Hutt of the men lfidfi i J? HeSinient on the 16th May, IMb, by the restoration of the historical spot is' most praiseworthy, but in regard to the memorial stone t 3 be erecteu thereon I would like to make the suggestion that you should accept one ol the standard memorial stones now being prepared for all war graves by the Government, and allow the Department to have the memorial stone in your possession returned to the Bolton Street Cemetery. - ■ • .- "If you and your council could kindly see their way to do this, it would allow of your placing upon the new stone an inscription suitable to the time and occasion and at the same time gratify the Early Settlers 1- Association and all those who are keenly interested in those early memorial ston c you now have to' its original restjng-pface."" ,-. Tlie Ma V3r , with the ■ matter, ndeJ^not^^my^^ who will, I havano doubt, reipec? yo"r wishes m this matter. As our desire was to do honour to those who fell, I Weltt Certam that if y°u consi der Mellmgton a more suitable place for the memorial; than L6wer Hutt (where of th r,' and, Where tl *c majority o them he), no obstacle will be pla*J in the way. Personally, however, ,vith all due respect t 3 the Early Settlers' fh Si Ss OCVan° n) \ th^ k, that th»^™ of this Valley should be considered when the matter, is under review " : .. .?j), eaklng i .?ft-;.«'is sublet, at I4«t-Byen-s^ia that the -protest came somewhat verrs in5 6 "'^ Th°st°™ lain for rs %f J^r S) ,a nd was e vidently very little thought of,when he obtained it by proper procedure, from the CHv q° UnCJJ-, Thf n sud^nly someoneWe

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