MOORHOUSE MEMORIAL

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2332, 23 September 1881, Page 3

MOORHOUSE MEMORIAL

A meeting, convened by his Worship the Mayor, to consider the most fitting memorial to be erected to the late William Sefton Moorhouse, was held at the City Council Chambers, at 3 p.m. yesterday. There was a large attendance of citizens, amongst others the Very Her. the Daan, Dr. Frankish, Hon. E. Richardson, Professor Yon Haast, Messrs John Ollivier, W. D. Meares, H. P. MurrayAynsley, H. Thomson, O. R. Blakiston, B. W. Monntfort, W. B. Perceval, J. A. Bird, L. Harper, R. D. Thomas, &o.—His Worship briefly introduced the business of the meeting, speaking of the great services rendered to the Province and Colony at large by the late Mr Moorhouse. He then called upon Mr John Ollivier to propose the first resolution.—Mr Ollivier having first thanked his Worship the Mayor for the ready manner in which he had taken up the matter by convening the meeting, proceeded to comment upon the great work initiated by Mr William Sefton Moorhouse, mentioning that in 1859 that gentleman had written a memorandum to Mr Selfe, the agent of the Province, proposing to raise a loan of a million and a half of money to railroad the Province of Canterbury from one end to the other. That memorandum, which appeared in the “ Lyttelton Times ” of October 15th, 1859, spoke in the language of prophecy as to the future of Canterbury. Unfortunately, the times then were times of impecnniosity, and they had to get in the thin edge of the wedge by the carrying out of the great work, the conot-uction of the tunnel. Their lamented friend had gone heart and sonl into this great work, and more than that. Sir Julius Vogel had said that the honor and glory of the projection of the great scheme of public works belonged to their friend, and his friend, William Sefton Moorhouse. This was one of the finest and most statesmanlike admissions that ever was made. But had they listened to the opponents of the scheme to oarry out the tunnel, what would have been the result ? It was proposed to make Qollan’s Bay a port of entry, and to oarry the goods, &0., to the Plains by means of an improved system of water carriage. What would Canterbury have been now had this been done ? Thank Hod it was not so, and that by the force of the will of their friend the tunnel had been carried out. Now, he wished to say this, that if his voice were to be heard, the memorial should be erected in the Domain. If there was one place in Canterbury where this memorial should be placed it was in the Domain, which was a thing of Mr Moorhouse’s creation. A work of art such as this would be could not be more fitly placed than surrounded by the Museum, the High Schools, and Colleges, which were all works of art. Now, as to the cost of a statue. The cost of the Gcdley statue was £1750, and he thought that the one now projected would be £ISOO. He suggested that the model of the statue should be the portrait taken of the late Mr W. Sefton Moorhouse by Mr Blsbee, which was taken in his palmiest days. He wished to see a statue erected, because it was by that method that his memory could be perpetuated. It had been proposed to found a scholarship, to erect a memorial church, or a tower in the Cathedral, but he felt that it was the proper way to have a statue to their lamented friend, as a memorial for all time. He now moved—“ That in order to perpetuate the remembrance of the services rendered to the Colony of New Zealand, and particularly to the Province of Canterbury by the late William Sefton Moorhouse, a monament be erected to hie memory in the Domain.” Mr Aynsley seconded the motion, speaking in feeling terms of the memory of the late gentleman.—Hon. B. Richardson said that farmers of Canterbury should remember that through the completion of the tuv.nel in 1868, they were enabled to take advantage of the exceptionally high prices ruling in Melbourne, so much so as to realise half the whole cost of the work.—Mr Lockhart spoke in favor of the limitation of the amount of subscription, so that all might be enabled to contribute.—Mr H. Thomson desired to ask whether it was considered that the erection of a memorial to cost some £ISOO or £2OOO would be the most fitting method of commemorating the services of Mr Moorhouse. He was of opinion that the best way would be to found a scholarship. The Very Rev. the Dean thought that the method proposed by Mr Thomson would be a fitting tribute to men rendering lesser public service than Mr Moorhouse had done. He was of opinion that statues and memorials snch as now proposed should be few and select. They should be reserved for the heroes of the country, snch as undoubtedly Mr Moorhouse was, and though there was much that was attractive in what Mr Thomson proposed, he was cordially in favor of a statue.—Mr Ollivier wished, before the resolution was passed, to say a few words in reply to what bad fallen from Mr Thomson. He remembered when the churches in Canterbury were in want of money—starving actually for funds and the Government voted some £IO,OOO to aid in the building of churches, the establishment of schools, Sea. This was a fact which his friend the Dean would remember, but it had faded from memory. So would a scholarship, if it were to be established. He trusted that, as the Dean had said, they would agree to allow a memorial to be erected, which would commemorate the eminent servioea of Mr Moorhouse.—The motion was then put and carried unanimously. —Mr Blakiston moved—“ That a committee of five be appointed, with power to add to their number, to make arrangements lor the collection of subscriptions. That subscriptions be limited to five guineas.” He had been permitted to have the privilege of moving this resolution as a member of the Government of Mr Moorhouse, and as one who had served under him as Provincial Secretary. Mr Blakiston related two incidents in the career of Mr Moorhouse, one in which, whilst the fata of the resolution approving of the scheme for the opening of the tunnel trembled in the balance, his personal influence with the members of the then Provincial Council changed the current of opinion so that it was carried unanimously. Another trait was that he had, at a time when employment was scarce, provided work for a large number of men at his own cost. —Mr Lockhart spoke in favor of the resolution being so worded as to read that subscriptions would be received of any amount up to £5 ss.—Mr James Selfe also stated that a number of working men had spoken to him, aud stated that they desired to subscribe, but that they had an idea that the sum of five guineas was the amount to be subscribed. He begged to move —“ That the subscription be from 2s 6d upwards.”—Mr Ollivier spoke in favor of a non-limitation of the subscription, leaving all to give just what his means enabled him to do. If it were limited to one guinea it would drag on for an unconscionable length of time.—Professor Yon Haast suggested that it might be a tacit understanding that five guineas should bo the limit, but that if the money did not come in readily, then larger sums might be accepted.—Mr Ayers seconded the amendment. —Dr. Prankish suggested that it would not be a good thing to limit the subscription to five guineas as proposed.—Mr Ollivier pointed out that the resolution did not prevent any man subscribing Is if he felt so inclined, or if it were the limit of his means. —Some further discussion ensued, and ultimately the resolution was amended as follows —“That subscriptions to any amount will be received, but in no case exceeding five guineas.”—Mr Selfe asked to withdraw his amendment in favor of the motion.—Mr Ayers declined to allow this to be done.—The Daan was in favor of the limit being fixed at £5 ss. If any person was desirous of contributing a larger amount ho could give £5 5s for himself, and the same sum for his wife and each of his children.—The amendment was ultimately withdrawn, and the motion was carried unanimously.—The committee was appointed as follows : —Hon. B. Richardson, the Mayor of Christchurch, Messrs Ollivier, Murray-Aynsley and R. Weslenra.—The meeting then terminated with a vote of thanks to the Mayor.