THE KELBURNE ACRE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1721, 11 April 1913, Page 7

THE KELBURNE ACRE.

PLIGHT OF THE LADIES.

HAVE LOST FAITH IN BOWLERS,

The ladies who propese to form a croquet cluli at Kelburne, on ground which tl they hope to obtain from the City Conn- tl oil, font a deputation to the llcserves 9' Con'niiltee yesterday, Mrs. ]!. W. M'Villy ■ headed the deputation. 0 , Mrs. M'Villy urged that the Indies had s( a pi'ior claim over the bowlers to the ; council's consideration, nnd that if the f ( council could sparo only one acre of the 6 | ii'est-rve, the croquet club should have the s j :nsci of it. She reminded the committee j, that the ladies had inado application first {j four, years ago, but the application was sl turned down. Twelve mouths ago she ], applied for (.n acre and a half of the re- j sesve, leaving tho council to fix its own conditions of lease. By what right had ] 1 tli? claim of 200 croquet players been set f, askle in favour of the bowlers' claim? w Councillor Shirtclitfo asked whether ]' there was enough room on the section for f< both croquet and bowls. tl 'file chairman, Councillor Frost, jsaid H tlwro seemed to be somo misapprehension ]■ about tho matter. Tho proposal made to " th<j committee by Mr. Marquis, on behalf I of the Bowling Club, was for tho lease of n one acre, which was said at the time to bo (1 sufficient for croquet as well ns bowls. : s! Mrs. M'Villy said it was not a sufficient S area, aud tho Mayor had. said quite h rightly that tho committee had been led b astray. The croquet players were willing p to join with tho bowlers provided the area t< obtained was two acres. Mr. Marquis had n undertaken to apply for two acres, but tl had only asked for one. j' The chairman said the committors had ii all the timo supposed tliat one acre would fi be adequate. "Tho point you make now," a he said, "is that your application was tho w prior one, and that if only olio acre is b available it should go to yon." s Mrs. M'Villy said again that if there t was only one acre to bo had the aero v should go to the croquet players. a The chairman said that the committee I had acted .quite straightforwardly in the s matter. There was an impression that 3 they had been hoodwinking the council, o but that was untrue. a Mrs. M'Villy: If tho Reserves Commit- t tee is not hoodwinking us, tho bowlers a . are. ; • ' o Th? chairman asked if tho ladies would v nov/ bo prepared to accept a joint lease, F "No, we would rather go on our own; P wo have lost faith in them now," said t Mrs. M'Villy.' "Can we.take it that our i application is to recoive consideration it has hot hitherto had f" Mrs. M'Villy stated in reply to ■ questions that an acre and a half would suffice for both bowls and croquet. She could not object to all applications bsing rturned down, but sho did not think the land should be given to tho second applicant. . Councillor Frost said the ladies could safely leavo the matter to the committee. • He thought they would be able to bring down n report which would be satisfactory to ■ both sides. It was evidently tho intention of their opponents to carry n;i the agitation against leasing the 'section lintil aftor the elections. The coinii'it tea were entirely in sympathy wiii'' (he ladies' application, but in the council •they were met with a rescinding motion every lime. It was nothing more nor less than a stone-wall until after the election. Councillor M'lOenzie advised the deputation to go and win tho Mayor over, and then their troubles would be ended. . Councillor Frost assured the ladies that tho council would be strong enough to v carry its way. The committee would willingly grant tho land, but ho could not- speak for the council. '■