WESTLAND WAR MEMORIAL.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 April 1920, Page 2

WESTLAND WAR MEMORIAL.

OVER £I,OOO RAISED. The collecting period, for the Westland Great War Memorial fund closed yesterday, except in out districts where the period has been extended to cover special conditions. On Saturday night it was estimated that the fund had passed the £I,OOO mark, and judging Lv the reports coming in from the country, there are hopes that the fund will reach the vicinity of £1,200. It will he some days yet before the final figures are known, but judging from the estimate made, the people as a whole are to be complimented on their response, and congratulated on the result.

With a little extra effort now it should be possible to attain the major sum first in mind—£lsoo. The total promises to approximate that sum presently, and if some of the original donations could be supplemented, the original task set the people would be achieved. The suggestion has been made that if two or three hundred people would subscribe £1 each, the district would have to its credit the honor of raising its memorial fund by a generous, spontaneous effort on the part of the people themselves without resort to the extrangeous eliorts wY f h would be so foreign to the raising of money for the in mind. Meantime, the lists will remain open till all the country returns are in, when a further statement of the position of the fund will be made, and the ’ committee will be called together to decide upon such action as may be deemed necessary.

On Saturday night some of the young er scholars of the State School took premises in Revel 1 Street, where they disposed of garden produce etc. for the benefit of the fund. An amount of £9 Is Od was raised, which added to the sum collected at the school, represents riearly £3l from the scholars’ efforts —a very creditable result indeed. v The offertory taken up at. the morning service of All Saints’ Church yesterday morning totalled £6, and has been devoed by the Church Committee to the memorial fund. Owing to the weather conditions a collection was not taken up at the foundation stone ceremony yesterday. Those desiring still to contribute may remit contributions to the Borough or County offices, or ‘deposit same with any of the official col-lectors—-town or country.

Bv the late mails contributions to the fund were received from Christchurch, Nelson, Montere, Wellington Stratford, Hawera etc. Over £2O have now been derived from this source. A list has been opened in Wellington among the West Coasters for the Westland memorial.

The country schools appear to have done uniformly good in the matter ot contributions. Some of the teachers r - port the special delight and interest the pupils took in raising the money. Ihe total from the schools is likely to be a very satisfactory sum.