Westland War Memorial

Hokitika Guardian, 1 March 1922, Page 4

Westland War Memorial

OF THE FUND

The announcement that the material for the Westland War Memorial to 1)0 j erected on Cass Square, is now arrivI in.g prompted some enquiry as to the position of the fund, The collections to date have been as follows: £s * d Town of Hokitika 595 5 6 County districts. 428 9 1 Absentee Westlanders 73 8 0 Town of Boss 29 3 6 Westland Schools . 65 13 3 Hokitika Savings Bank 200 0 0 Total £1,391 19 4 In the collection of this amount there i has been paid for printing, advertising, stationery, and postages £33 9s. Against the credit balance of £1,358, 10s 4d remaining, there is a liability of £1,500, the amount of the contract with Mr H. A. Thompson for the Memorial Cenotaph, and an estimated sum of £SO for ornamenting grounds, providing garden seats etc. The total outlay will be approximately £1,550, so that the estimated deficiency will be £2OO.

It has been suggested that this sum of £2OO should be contributed by th e local bodies'. Legal power to do so was enacted in the Finance Act of 1918, whereby in section 15, local bodies are required to erect and maintain war memorials. The following quota of [contributions from local bodies within the district covered by the Westland War Memorial has been suggested a s follows: Borough of Hokitika £76 County of Westland 75 Borough of Kumara 25 ' Borough of Boss 25 Total £2OO These contributions would not be required till April, thus carrying the payments into the next financial year of the local bodies. The memorial is to the memory of all men who served in the war from I Westland, and the names of all known Westland men who fell in the war, are on the pillar which will stand under the Cenotaph. It is possible to add any other names which might still be supplied of men who fell and of whom there has not been so far any local record. There are upwards of 180 names of fallen Westlanders on the granite pillar.

The Cenotaph is largely of marble, and from what has been seen of the workmanship, seems to be very beautiful. The erection will be put in hand at once, and the unveiling will take place oil the afternoon of Anzno Day, '.'•lien a special ceremonial will bo arranged. A meeting of local bodies, returned soldiers, school chidren, the clergy, the choirs, the hand, and De-iV-nce odicers, and others will he held shortly to arrange the programme for the occasion. In the meantime ally contributions to the fund ma v be forwarded to the Town Hall or County Office, Hokitika.