CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20726, 9 February 1939, Page 8

CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

Allocation of dates throughout the Auckland province for next year's centenary celebrations has given the zone and local organisations something definite to work upon, and the work of organisation cannot be begun too soon. From the maximum subsidy of £150,000 promised by the Government to supplement funds raised by the celebrations committees, £49,000 has been allocated for the Auckland province, and that is a substantial inducement to the organising committees to make the celebrations worthy of the occasion. The subsidy will be distributed on the basis of £1 for £3 raised in each area up to the limit of the sum made available. When the organisation of the celebration begins an important decision will have to be made. What form will the celebrations take ? Is it desirable that a permanent memorial should be erected in stone, or should the money be expended in making a spectacular appeal to the spirit of the people by displays of national historical interest ? Among the members of the Auckland provincial committee there is a strong feeling that the memorial should be engraved on the hearts and minds of the people rather than that it should be a monument of stone, the real purpose of -which would soon be forgotten. They place the chief value on a resurgence of the spirit of the earlier people of New Zealand who made the country what it is. It is certain that most monuments, be they buildings or other public facilities, lose their original meaning very quickly and are soon regarded, not as memorials, but as decorative or useful objects with no special significance. It is in the hearts and minds of the people that the best in a nation is enshrined, and if by the centenary celebrations it is possible to awaken the spirit that builds a nation, New Zealand’s hundredth anniversary will not have been celebrated in vain. Vision is required to make the centenary a worthwhile occasion. Now that definite times for the celebrations have been set aside, no doubt those who have the real interests, of New Zealand at heart will have many valuable suggestions to offer. The occasion is a joyful one, but it will also stir feelings deeper than those of superficial pleasure.