MARSLAND HILL MEMORIAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 76, 26 April 1909, Page 3

MARSLAND HILL MEMORIAL

MEETING OK THE COMMITTEE. J A meeting of Hie Mar-html Hill Ale j morial general committee | Saturday irfternonn, There were piv- | sent: Mc-os. S. IVrcy-SnuT a (cluirmnni. I Captain Mac, X.Z.C., Messrs .1, C. Davies. W. E. X. 1,. Okcc. Ellis. .). Black, 0. A. Adlani, E, iioakrill, Ji. Wells, S. Hill, \v, F. Gordon (secretary;. THE VxYEILIN'G CEREMONY. "I'll.' chairman anntum-cd that since last meeting, on Saturday last, His Excellency the Governor iud intimated that Friday, .May 7th, would be a con vcnic.it time for him to perform the ceremony of unvjiling the memorial. S" the suh-coiiiinittee In,a decirleit »n that date, the unveiling to take place at 2.30 p.m. A procession of volunteers, veterans, school cadets, friendly societies and other organisations will lie formed. Colonel Ellis acting as marshal, (ill arrival at the Crown o!' Marslaud Hi", the troops will form three sides of a hollow si|iiare. the monument and the platform occupying the fourth sid.'. Inside the line seats will lie reserved for members of the committee and lady fiii'nds. Upon the arrival of His Excellency the Governor he will be received by Mr. S. l'ercy-Sinith, chairman of the committee, who will briefly explain tne nature and object of the memorial and ask His Excellency to unveil the 11101111-1 incut. This hiving been done, the Rev. F. tl. Evans, Chaplain-Major, will give a dedicatory address. The Garrison Band will take part in the ceremony, and invitations are being .sent to tile mayors and members of local governing bodies in Taranaki. He had received a communication from Sir Joseph Ward, Premier, regretting that engagements made for the South Island at that date would prevent his being present at this ceremony. The Mayor was to be asked to arrangw for a public holiday. ihe chairman also announced that it ' was proposed that at the conclusion ot J tile ceremony the whole of the committee should be presented to the Governor ( A PROTECTIVE FEXCE. 1

Mr. Smith asked the committee to decide upon some suitable fence or wall to surround the monument. If it were left unprotected, it would not be long before the boys would commence adorn" ing it with their names. He would suggest erecting an iron railing, about six feet high, in such a style that no one would venture to climb over it.

Jlr. Wells thought to adopt that suggestion would spoil the wlin| ( . tiling, and spoil the look of the monument. 11l answer to a question Mr. Doekrill (treasurer) said the total funds of the committee, including' the promised Government subsidy of £3OO, amounted to £71(1. Of this £4l(i had hcen banked in the post office. The builder had been paid £3OO, and £355 was still due to him. There seemed, then, to he £SO or £(io to meet incidental expenses. There were still some moneys to con.e in. Colonel Ellis a three-feet iron railing on concrete base, with six or eight inches of water surrounding the monument. Xo better protection from boys could be imagined, lie thought. It was decided that the secretary obtain designs and estimates for a suitable fence. THOSE NAMES. Mr. Adlain referred to the decision of the committee to place on thy monument the names of Messrs. S. Percy. ■Smith (chairman). W. F. Gordon (secretary), E. Doekrill (treasnreri, and Captain .Mace (prime mover). Jle moved that the words "for the committee' be added.

Mr. ,1. Black seconded. Mr. 4. ('. Da vies did not think the committee was juslilied in u«dn<; the funds f«.r the carving of any names at all on the monument. If there were members 011 tile committer who wished their names inscribed on the monument let them pay for it themselves. lie could see no reasn.i why the suhs.-rilieiV money should be used.

The chairman said he felt v;*ry deeply upon this point. When the motion was proposed to include his own name in the four he had objected, on the ground that he had done so little for the movement that there was no justification for placing his name there. He had objected, and still objected, lo the whole tiling. The more he thought about it the more he was convinced that the committee was making a mistake, lie Inew that, other members of the committee thought the -ame, hut. I hey had refrained from speaking as the gentlemen themselves had not objected to their names being so inscribed, lie still had the same strong objection to his own name gohig on, and thought it was in exceedingly bad taste to place any names upon the tablet.

Mr. .1. C. Davie* said Ik- had Ml the idea was wrong at the linn*, and said >o after ih<» Hireling at which tin* proposal was -earned. But lie had fell disinclined In discuss the poi;it in fv«»nt nf the "iMUleinen eoneented. Colonel Messenger had itlso been opposed to the idea right through, and he, too, had refrained from saying anything at the time, feting thai me objections would have come better from the men whose names were proposed. It was not fitting that thj names of any of the living should be placed oil a monument to the memory of the me i who had fallen in the war. In his opinion it lowered the dignity am! standing of tiie memorial. Mr. Hill considered jt a great pity that this matter was hei ig discussed at this late hour. He did not think they would lutw heard very much about it but for the letters which had appeared in tin? paper. The chairman and Mr. Messenger both stated that their opinions were formed before any letters appeared.

Mr. Hill considered tin- n.iiiich shmilu certainly g« <»i> »■"! tluit the vvoj-ds "fur the committee" should go 011, tun, tq explain why the names were there. He instanced the fuet that Hie new bridges erected in the county liore tablets on which were inscribed the names uf tae county councillors, county clerk, ami county engineer at the time. Colonel Messenger: The fact that county councillors and engineers stick (heir names on bridges is just the very reason why no names should go on this. There's a solemnity about this monument tliat certainly uiesn't exist in Kspecl of any pottering bridge about the county. Colonel Ellis said lie hail lot been agreeable to the pliunig of Ihc names on the monument, but lie li.id not spoken against the motion, as he had not wished to hurt the feelings of others. Me would not have objected to tlie names of the secretary, architect, and builder l:ci:ig lie moved tli.it the molion authorising the inscription of the four names be rescinded.

Captain Mace he had objected all through tn liis name jjoinjj on, lie iiad been of opinion that only Mr. Cordoir-. name should lie iwd. No one knew tin- amount of work that Mr. C.ordnn had done. and in- him-clt' li.nl knowledge • thut preceding mayors had declined toj call a public to discus th> pro-1 posal to em-V a monument. Mr. Doekrill had called the jimm-#in«r when asked, j and they knew the result. Hut )le had! been unable to *i'e how they could jjei | Mr. (Jtirdoirs name on without those also of (he chairman ;uid treasurer. Mr. havies admilted thai the -eciv.- 1 tnry liad done an Immense amount of work, lint he iiiii-t remind the committee thai Mr. Standi-h, a- chairman of the < ommit.tee whilst life hulk of the work was heinjr done. did excellent wr.rk and devoted a ;rival deal offline. Mr. Doekrill said he had not spoken on the mutter at the previous meeting, although lie felt iiis name should mil be u-ed. But he had wi-hed to -ei' Ihe labor- of Captain Mace and Mr. ({onion r« :-i;u|ii>ed. and he h:id not withdrawn his 'imvii name these >h'«uld do likewise. Without Captain Maee there would never have been a I monument at all.

Mr. Adlam said I In- speakers reminded him of a lot of little children, but they! j were men well tin ill years who should | not want to rescind at one meeting what they had done at a meeting only a f«'W days earlier, lie couldn't sec any aeecsMty f«»r the change of front, and lie was mil. going to allow it. The previous resolution could not be rescinded without the unanimous consent of the committee, "and I'm not unanimous." The chairman confessed his inability to rule upon the point raised, and referred it to Mr. Doekbill. Mr. Dorkrill, having ascertained that there were some present when the resolution was passed who were not at this meeting, held that Hi:- resolution could uot be rescinded. Had they been I present, the meeting could have rescinded it, unanimous ccnseut not being re-J quired. , Mr. Adlam questioned the ruling. | Colonel Kllis thought, that as this committee was not regularly constituted. each meeting should be deemed a separate act. He thought there was no necessity for adhering strict 1 v to rules laid down for properly constituted bodies. The chairman decided that he could not accept Colonel Ellis' amendment (which had not bci'ii seconded). Mr. Adlam's motion was then put and i carried. This concluded the business.