THE CARNIVAL FUND.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1790, 1 July 1913, Page 6

THE CARNIVAL FUND.

HOW SPEND IT?

SOME OF THE RIVAL.'SCHEMES

It is perhaps regrettably that after the first carnival of the kind in Wellington there should- now bo a little heartburning over how tlho money is to bo spent. Evidently the position was not clearly defined when the committees were set up in connection with the Easter Carnival, for now there are divorso opinions as to whoso final "say-so" in the matter is to count. At tho last mooting of tho committee of trustees tho 'Mayor. (Mr. J. P. Luke) ruled that tho meeting had no right to specify in which particular direction tho 1 carnival moneys Should bo expended. Several members of this special committee thought quite tho reverse, wero, as a matter of ifact, sure that one of their duties would bo to name what work should bo undertaken, and in support of that contention hold that that , was why tho City Council was given substantial representation 011 that body. When the Mayor ruled against tho right of the committee to ear-mark tho Work, to be done, the matter was referred back to tho general exccutivo committee, which appointed the committee of trustees from their number. A meeting of this committee is to bo held on Thursday evening. It consists of Mosdames J. P. Firth and J. I'. Luke, the Mayor (Mr. Luke), tho chairman of the Reserves Committee (Mr. 6. Frost), Councillor R. Fletcher, Messrs. C. G. Wilson, C. R. Smith, and A. Marryatt. Basin Reserve Scheme. It is interesting to noto that four alternative schemes wero submitted to tho City Engineer for a report: (1) Improvement of Oriental Bay; (2) improvement of Basin Reserve; (3) provision of a recreation ground on tho Town Belt at tho top of Pirio Street; «nd (4) a recreation ground at Brooklyn. Tho engineer's recommendation was to devote tho money to tho Basin Reserve imnroveniont scheme, but there are others who think that tho money so raised should not bo .spent on bo composite a work (it includes altering the tram line, etc.), -and after all it was merely tho replanning of an existing ground, The Pirie Street Proposal. The scheme favoured in other quarters is the proposal to construct a uew recreation ground along tho foot of tho Town Belt betwoen the top of Pirio and MajoriImnks Streets. The idea of forming a recreation ground at tho Pirie Street end of this strip is ten years old. Something toward that end was done when tho Kilbirnio tunnel was being pierced, when a good deal of gully-filliug on the J>elt was offectcd with .the spoil from tho "tunnel. Some members of tho trustees who favour going on with this idea state that a recreation ground (on two levels) of 15 acres would not have its equal in Now Zealand. Not only would space bo created for all kinds of sports, but the hillside of tho ground—a sunny spot—could easily be terraced in stadium style. Tho work, they admit, could not be dono in a year or two years, but if such a ground could be made in five years out of tho proceeds of Easter Carnivals it would be a separate and distinct work, which tho public could see growing under their eyes as tho direct work of their recent effort.