RECREATION AREAS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 21, 4 June 1908, Page 7

RECREATION AREAS.

" A QUESTION OF CONTROL. SCHEME OF DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION. - : , ADMITTANCE FEES. ' • ;"With the completion of at least three now city. recreation grounds in view, problems will arise very shortly as to tho manner in which they are to bo controlled. Up to tho present the question has not been raised, or, jf .it hasentored anyone's mind, it has been dismissed with tho assumption that tho City Council will most probably retain the con- ■ trol. and "administer" the'grounds on behalf of. the ratepayers. This article seoks to show that the question of control is a serious onb,' and/that it will not be in tho host interests of the city for. the Council to control theso grounds, ; nor will tho Council evince a dgsiro to do So when:they become aware of the responsibilities they-assume in doing so. Not a Task for tho Council. Tho matter of providing recreation grounds. ■ for a rapidly-growing athletic community has bccomo a highly important. ono during tho past fow years, and as those areas of flat land-.which..have been used for football' and hockey.aro required for residential purposes, the olamour will l become more persistent. The City Council havo had this plain truth thrust ; upon them for some time past, .and havo' responded by providing grounds at Duppa. -Street, Anderson Park (Botanical Gardens); and.at Kelburne.: Thero is, no . doubt in anyone's mind that those grounds will-bo eagerly sought after; once they are availablo 'there will bo a rush for privileges by. the .various sports bodies that; will inako . our city fathers hesitate 'about assuming the . day ;to day control of the. grounds. They will not bo. able to allot ,tbe grounds or even one ground to one body without raising tho . onmity of half a dozen other bodies cjaiming ; equal.'.rights'to the uso of the ground, nor . -should .. tho Council , undertake the very .onerous ;task'of allotting tho several playing areas, in tho different parks to certain clubs; that! would be cumbersome .to'a degree. •Then, again, if the municipality retains tho control of the grounds it-will, mean that the cityvwill havo to pay for'their, upkeep all.:,the;'year round, which is . going to cost

>• not^farishort of £1000- per annum. Is itright .that tho city/ having; provided the grounds, should also bear tho cost of their .upkeep? It is just possible that this query ' has>not suggested itself to. the .minds of City vmuoh - less tho, apathetic ratepayer.;, but.tjiat it is a question of some moment.will bo 'readily seen. Alternative 'Suggestions. . ■; ffiVoTalternative methods,of setting up a resp(jugiblo control of tho city grounds prc- , sent:',themselves. ~Ono is that' tho.- whole of

tho 6{ty?grounds— as far as the playing areas » aro .1 concerned (Basin Reserve, "Newtown Park,-Anderson Park, Kelburno Park, and thoDuppa Street grounds)—should be vqstol in a committee of 'control to bo elected either/: by the ratepayers bi-annuaily at the

- G[l nio tun© as the Cjty Council is elected, or by. the City, Council, aiid that all powers as <to ground-letting, charges for admission, etc.,' be left to such a body, 'which should, bo ■ given an entirely ! freo hand.. It : would ibe tho duty, of such a committee to consider the claims of all ' sports' bodies for playing space, ' to endeavour to satisfy'them all as far as lies m : their power, ; and' to make' such finimcial ivith sports' bodies; in', •. spect'to gate : money as would guarantee suf- , ficicnt for the upkeep, and improvements of tho grounds. The day When a ratepayer, demands jentranco to a,.ground simply because he is a ratepayor should bo over. If he wishes to see a football match, he should be prepared to pay a small entrance fee that ■ -will cover expenses—not leave it to the rates. Tho , ratepayers own a very fine .Town; Hall, but they cannot witness ah. entertainment held there without paying. ,■ Outlins of a District Schemo. Tho alternative, and; perhaps the better ochejjoyiß that of creating districts, and vesting,the control of the grounds in dis-trict-committees of trustees. This has been proved to be . the most popular form of control in tho larger cities of the world, as, in addition -; to creating a healthy rivalry between .districts,, it' would make ono' vie With the other m the' - administration and improvement of ;their respective grounds. Wellington and the. city grounds are admir-ably-adapted for district control. It i would, in tho ■■ first * instance, necessitate the: city boing ; divided into so many districts'rhat

. could bo. clearly defined by streot boundaries, and.if.the idea is; considered for a moment it will bo!seen how simply such a scheme would workcout, as witness:— . 7 „• Anderson Park.—Thorndon and North- ,■> land. - Kolburne Park.—Wellington Central and .■ Kelburna. , . Basin Roserve.—Wellington East. Newtown Park.—Newtown. • ■ . ■ Duppa Street.—lsland Bay, Berhamporo, Brboklyn, and Vogeltown. ■/;' The only other ground, now to be made mder ~tlie present, scheme is at tho head: of Evans Bay, which would be controlled by a committee representing' 'North and' South Kilbirme and Hataitai. If the Council decides ,to mako another ground between tho Ohiro Road and the Nairn Street Reserve, anothor. district could bo created in that neighbourhood. ".I - i Relieve the Council and the Rates, Here,: in rfeughj is the basis of a district committee schpmo that would relievo tho City Couricil y of a' : great deal of worry and tho ratepayers of : a considerable amount of rates, ; whild!'ifollcrwing in its steps would come . district! football, and hockey clubs, inducing even,more keenness than is displayed in the gatnes as at present played. Tho duties of/these committees might ■at first thoughft'seem arduous, but, as far as concorns thd.Utting- out of the grounds on Wedand Saturdays (or any days, for they , would only have to consideflrßo,Wj' many grounds, could bo given the E,u'ffD^"' : j/nion, tho- Football Association,, tho W£lfiiig,t6n Hockoy Association, and tho LidieVjj Hockey Association, with Australian jf<JS^a)C ; and lacrosse as contingencies; como as to the receipt of a per-'-of the "gate" (if any); and gon.to ..supervise'.: the upkeep of tho . ffir'Oiicd; -• ; '-'''Tli'eflo 'suggestions are made under the im- ■ ~jprf?£sioiv that somo control othor than that ~ of, the; City Council will liavo to bo evolved, .^/sopner, or later, as has boon found in larger than Wellington, and as lias been practisod iii tho case of the Basin Reservo, which is practically controllod by the Wellington Cricket Association. One has only to know of the largo amount of monoy that that Association has spent for tho uplioop of that ground .to form an estimate of what tho ratepayers will have to pay if tho Council retain; this control of tho now grounds, and give their use away to tho first applicant, "f?B9, gratis, and for nothing."