The Daily News. SATURDAY MAY 1st, 1909. THE MARSLAND HILL MEMORIAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 81, 1 May 1909, Page 2

The Daily News. SATURDAY MAY Ist, 1909. THE MARSLAND HILL MEMORIAL.

The beautiful memorial monument erected on Marsland Hill to the memory of the Imperial soldiers and sailors, the colonial militia and volunteers, and (lie Maori allies w/io fought and died iu Tarauaki's wars, in the cause of settlement, is a possession of which the people of New Plymouth may justly be proud. The perpetuation of the historic associations surrounding Marsland Hill by the erection of the .Maori war monument, and later on by a fitting memorial to Taranaki troopers who lought m tins .South African war is, scarcely less lliau the monuments themselves, a most valuable addition to the attractive beauties of the town. Pride iu the district's history, and sincere regard for historic, associations and localities are qualities ! that are not lacking iu tlie residents of New Plymouth, and every movement thai has for its object the improvement of the town's aesthetic beauties, or the preservation of its historic associations, is always assured of practical support J and encouragement. Jt should scarcely be necessary, therefore, to remind our readers of the official unveiling of tlie Marsland Hill memorial on Friday afternoon next by His, Excellency thc Governor. The presence of all the available volunteer forces, and particularly the members of tjie Veterans' Association, whose deeds and those of their late com-rades-in-arms the monument is to perpetually symbolise, is peculiarly fitting, as marking the military character of the ceremony.

It is sincerely to be regretted that ' the committee, to which is due t/ie • credit of having the memorial erected, > has been so injudicious as to adhere , to its resolve to have inscribed on one J of the tablets the names of four of its i prominent workers. Everyone is pro- , pared to acknowledge the line work ae- | complished by the committee, but n ► seems to us to be altogether oat of proi portion to give greater prominence on y the monument to the committee's lead- ► ing workers than to the soldiers, sailors ►. and settlers who fought Taranaki's I battles. Yet this is what the committee, ► on its own motion, has decided upon, > for while the 'names of the regiments > and warships that were engaged during ► tlie wars are to be inscribed on tne tab- , lets, the names of four individuals, [ whose connection with the wars eon- > sisted in taking a prominent part in [ commemorating them, have been as- ' signed a special tablet to themselves i proclaiming the fact, far be it from [ us to ascribe l 0 the gentlemen con- < cerued motives of self-glorilicatioii, yet i most assuredly they must accept the , public censure that we are certain is > almost universally felt at their action. > What we are at a loss to understand is J that while three of the gentlemen con- , cerued publicly expressed their objec- \ tion to the monument being adorned ► with their names, each presumauly ro- ► cognising the questionable taste, iuvolv- [ ed, no genuine attempt was made to • rescind the motion. Air. Doekrill's rul- . ing on the point was delightfully and \ diplomatically opportune (for the reten- ; tion of the motion which he proftssed to • disfavor). If Mr. Doekrill and the others ' had been sincere in their objection to • their names being used, it surely must . have occurred to them that they had \ an easy way of escape from the unenviable position in which they had been placed—merely to refuse to allow their y names to be, used as the committee desired. Or the necessary notice of motion, about which so much concern-was exhibited, could easily have been given at the meeting aiid disposed of af 'fi, special meeting convened for the purpose. A " way out" might easily have been found, and protestations to the contrary will fall on deaf ears. The damage has now been done, however, and the subject need not further oe pursued. We can only express our regret that the gentlemen concerned should have allowed themselves to be placed before the public and posterity in a' false position, foreign to their unblemished public and private records. We trust, also, that this little "lly in the) ointment" may not be permitted to discount he people's appreciation of the splendid monument, or in any way to deprecate the public-spirited work of tile committee in having brought their selfimposed labors to so successful a conclusion.