THE WAR MEMORIAL

Taranaki Daily News, 15 November 1921, Page 4

THE WAR MEMORIAL

THE SITE NOT AVAILABLE. BOROUGH COUNCIL’S DECISION. NEW PROPOSAL MADE. The use of the whole of the vacant site opposite the railway station for a war memorial is opposed by the New Plymouth Borough Council, though they are prepared to grant a strip of land facing Egmont Street for the purpose. The Borough Council comes into the matter by the fact that it owns part of the site, the remainder belonging to the Harbor Board, and as the Harbor Board cannot make a gift of its land it has been suggested to the council that they should arrange for an exchange of some property for the Harbor Board’s interest in the site. This proposal was embodied in correspondence before the council last night, and it led to a discussion as to whether the council was prepared to forego its inte/ests in the site for the purpose of a war memorial. The Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) said the question had arisen as to whether the site had been obtained for any specific purpose, or whether it had been ear-marked by previous councils for some particular object. • In order to clear up this point the Mayor read extracts from the records of previous councils on the use of this site, and from these it appeared that the land had never been allotted for any definite purpose. At one time it was thought the site would be particularly suitable for a theatre or a town hall,* but later there was some opposition to this on account of the proximity of the railway station. The late Mayor (Mr. James Clarke) had expressed the opinion that the site would be particularly suitable for a war memorial. Mr. Wilson added that there were no trusts in connection With tue land, and it did not have to be utilised for any specific purpose. He further pointed out that w’hile the Borough Council could do what they liked. with the land the Harbor Board *could not give their land away. Cr. J. Brown was agreeable to the use of a small portion of the lapd for a memorial, but he opposed the whole of the land being handed over to be laid out as a park. The council should retain control of the land so that it could eventually be used by the council. Cr. Large agreed. . Cr. J. Kibby was of opinion that the site had been obtained for some specific purpose and the council had no right to di.'ypose of it. He would like to meet the war memorial committee as far as possible, but he was not prepared to favor the disposal of such valuable land for a park.

After further discussion it was decided: “That whije the council is not prepared to set aside the whole of its land fronting Egmont and St. Aubyn Street as a site for a war memorial, it is prepared to favorably consider the setting aside of part, comprising the whole frontage to Egmont Street, for the pur-