COOK MEMORIAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume X, Issue 994, 14 September 1903, Page 2

COOK MEMORIAL.

(To the Editor Gisborne Times.

Sin, —At the meeting of the Cook Memorial Fund, held last week, in advo- i eating that the memorial should bo placed in some central part of the town of Gis- ( borne, I gave several reasons for so doing, which were omitted from your report, and i and which I would wish to agaiu mention. I think it would not only be an ornament I to the town, but would be the cause of inducing tourists to visit Gisborne, aud also as against the idea of having the memorial as near as possible to the spot where Captain Cook first landed in New Zealand, some of tho fiuest monuments at Home and in tho colonies to commemorate gr&at men are far from the scenes of their gallant labors, viz., Nelson’s monument is not in Trafalgar Bay, but in London and Dublin; Wellington’s is not on the field of Waterloo, but in London and Dublin: Colin Campbell’s is not in India, but in Glasgow; Burke and Wills’ not on the Australian desert, but Melbourne ; Cook’s is not in Sydney Harbor, but in tho public park, Sydney. Thon why should not Cook’s be in Gisborne, being the town nearest his first lauding place in New Zoa-' land ? Ia not Gisborne a more appropriate place for a monument to the great British Navigator, who first proclaimed Now Zealand British possessions, rather than the Haiti Hill, in tho centre of a Native land blocK, with no toad accoss to it ? If erected in Gisboruo it would not ouly help to beautify the towu, but to induce tourists from all parts to visit us. I would ulso suggest to the design competitions that the base should embrace a water fountain, as in other largo cities, besides boiug able to assert that Gisborne is not waterless. Trusting, Mr Editor, that this will induce others to give an expression of opinion, and also suggest to the Committee to havo a public meeting of subscribers before deciding on auy special site.—l am, etc., E. P. Joyce.