SOLDIERS’ GRAVES.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 April 1922, Page 4

SOLDIERS’ GRAVES.

FIFTY POUNDS VOTED. BY PEACE COMMITTEE. What should be done with the £53 3s lOd, the nett proceeds of the Peace ball held in 1919? was a question the New Plymouth peace celebrations committee was called upon to decide yesterday. The money was originally allocated for planting trees in Liardet Street, but the Borough Council later rejected this proposal.

About twelve members of the committee were present, Mr. C. H. Burgess being voted to the chair. Mr. F. C. Bellringer, borough manager, explained that the tree-planting scheme had been rescinded by the council because it was thought that thereby Liardet Street would be rendered too narrow, especially in view of the traffic during functions at Pukekura Park. The sum of £53 3s lOd had therefore been held by the Borough Council since 1919.

On an invitation being extended to the meeting to submit a freeh proposal, Mr. W. J. Chaney moved that the money be paid into the New Plymouth war memorial fund.

The chairman said that while he was in sympathy with the proposal, he thought the money might well be reserved for the soldiers’ plots at the cemetery. There were graves there that were not receiving attention, some even being without heads tones. The Government had a scheme for providing headstones for soldiers dying from war disabilities, but after a certain time, men who died at a later date from the effects of war injuries were not eligible under the scheme. “We shouldn’t allow the soldiers’ graves to be neglected if they require attention,” concluded Mr. Burgess. Mr. J. McLeod said that since hearing the scheme put forward by the last speaker he did not want to urge unduly a proposal he had to make. The i proposal he had in mind was to utilise i the money for finishing the work at the sports ground. This .had cost £7OO to date, and during the five months the work had been in progress no appeal had been made to the public. Now the committee found that about £7O more was required, and the speaker hod thought of suggesting that the amount in question ibe voted for that purpose. He was afraid the public did not appreciate the fact that the ground had to be put in order before it could earn money. As regards the proposal to allocate the money to the war memorial fund, Mr. McLeod thought that was a case where definite subscriptions for a definite object should be made. An earnest plea for the money to be devoted to the upkeep of the soldiers’ plots was made by Mrs. Burgess, who said that a grant of the money to the Victoria League would form a fund whereby the league would be enabled to i erect headstones for the men who died j two or three years after the war. In ! many eases at present there was nothI ing to say who some of the men ! who had been laid to rest in the cemetery were. The Government might be apj plied to for a subsidy on any amount i raised for this purpose. At present ! the league had only £5, an amount i voted by the Red Cross Society, to work | UP Mr. C. E. Bellringer embodied into an {amendment the proposal to allocate the I money to the Victoria League for use lin the eare of soldiers’ graves. He un- ' deretood that some of the men burned [at the cemetery had no friends in New 1 Plymouth, and the need for headstones i'was not likely to be met in any otiier wav. ; Mr. J. McLeod seconded the amendIment. i Mr. S. G. Smith seconded Mr. I Chaney’s motion, explaining that he jwas not opposed to the scheme put foriward by Mrs. Burgess, but it appeared to him that it was the duty of the Government to look after the soldiers graves. Therefore, he was in favor of the surplus money being made the nucleus of a war memorial fund. The speaker sympathised also with Mr. McLeod’s suggestion, but thia, he thought, did not have the same claim as the other proposals. Reverting to the question of headstones for soldier® graves, the speaker was of opinion the Government ought to grant the requisite money to the Victoria League without the league raising a sum and asking the Government for a eirbsidy. Mr. F. C. Bellringer pointed out that the Borough Council had rejected the Government’s proposals for providing headstones, as these consisted simply of wooden crosses and would be of no permancy. They were not likely, therefore, to get a Government grant for the purpose. The scheme was purely a local one, the Borough Council having set aside a plot at the cemetery for soldiers’ graves. In answer to the point referred to by Mr. Smith, Mr. Burgess eaid it wm desired that the war memorial should be a. straight-out gift. If it were going to fail for £5O, then it was not worth going on with. The Government, he admitted, did not do all it ought or could, but the committee could do a little to help by voting the money for the purpose. In fact, if the Victoria League 'could not get some money, it would have to set about to raiee funds. Mr. L. A. Nolan expreseed himself as in sympathy with all three proposals, but he thought the one for keeping the soldiers’ graves in order was the worthiest of the three. Mr. Chaney said that after hearing Mr. Burgess’ proposal he would withdraw his motion, Mt. Smith assenting thereto. Mr. Bellringer’a then became the motion before the meeting, and, on being put, it was carried unanimously. The suggestion by Mr. Smith that an endeavor should be made to obtain a Government subsidy on the amount was favorably entertained. On behalf of Mrs. Burgess Mr. Burgess thanked the meeting, for allocating the money to the Victoria League for such a worthy object.