THE BASIN RESERVE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2210, 24 July 1914, Page 8

THE BASIN RESERVE.

THE FUTURE CONTROL.

AGREEMENT WITH CRICKET

ASSOCIATION.

Future control of the Basin Reserve has occupicd the attention of the City Reserves Committee for some time past and at last night's meeting of the City Council the committee brought down a proposal to do away with tho dual control hitherto existing, and to place the reserve (during the cricket' season) under the control, of the Wellington Cricket Association for five years. It proposed that. tho council should appoint a head groundsman at £156 per annum, with houso and lighting to take chargo of the playing area and pavilion at the Basin Reserve (the appointee to be first approved by the Wellington Cricket Association), this official to appoint suoh assistance as the work at tno Basin Reserve may require to assist him from time to time. The work to be dono by the groundsman and assistants will l<a the whole of the work previously carried out by the association, but the groundsman should undertake such other duties stimulated by the council, provided that these duties do not infringe upon the time required to be spent on the playing area to , give effect to the provisions of the agreement with the association. The playing area, it was suggested, should be controlled in the followingmanner:—(a) The association to have the control of the playing area- during, the cricket .season in directing the pre- ' paration of all wickets and the main-' tenance of the playing area in good ri a 111 rflC ting the execution 9 r all works previously carried out by it, and (b) all other matters relating to the control of the playing area: and pavilion during the cricket season to bp in tho hands of the committee, consisting of two members of tho Reserves Committee of the council and two members of, the committee of the a-ssocia-'' tion. . 1 ■

The council should not, during the cricket season, grant the use of-the ground or any part thereof to any sport or other body other than the Cricket Association without first consulting the association, which wa;a to-pay to the council the sum of £175 per annum by four-monthly payments of £43 15s. during the oontiiiuance of the agreement. The council would purchase from the association all its_ plaiit and material and its horse, provide all material necessary for the upkeep of the ground and the preparation and repair of wickets, and put the eastern portion of- the Basin Reserve in order. The groundsman would rcceive and act on all instructions from the association/as to the preparation of wickets, the association to retain the right to Erant' all wickets at the Basin and to receive all fees therefore as formerly, while the council would have the right to allocate to tho eastern portion of the ground such, wiokets for boys cricket as the coulicil thinks fit. Tho. association would decide as'to the fitness of the ground for play. _ On all charges are made for kdihissioii to cricket matches on'the Basin Reserve, the'council would collect vlO per cent.:of the gross gate, receipts;- provided that while the present pavilion stands, no percentage lie collected on tho pavilion takings; if during the of the agreement a now pavilion is erected, tho council shall have the right to modify the above provisions regarding pavilion takings. . The proposal gavo rise to a lengthy discussion. Councillor, J. E; iFitzgerald objected to the whole scheme, and protested strongly against. any sports body other than the. Wellington 1 Cricket Association being debarred from using the ground for- five years without first .having an opportunity of placing their views before the council. It was. the duty <of councillors to deal fairly with all members of the community, and ho thought, the present proposal was positively unfair to the Junior Cricket Association, which ,was anxious to get on the Basin Reserve, but had no opportunity, of. knowing anything that was being done in regard to, control. He mentioned that the Junior Association had a greater'membership l, than the Wellington. Cricket Association, was m a stronger financial position, and had done much for cricket. He moved anamendment in the direction of rejecting ;tlio_ ;proposal. to hand- over control to-.the association for five years, but his amendment failed to find a seconder. Councillor R. Fletcher was of opinion it was wrong to bind the council to a five, years' agreement. Councillor E. - moved, and Councillor Hindmarsh seconded, that the last clause,bo amended to read:. "This agreement to remain in force during the pleasure of the council." It would bo undemocratic to bind the council to a five-years' terms. Councillor ,T. C. A.. Hislop thought (and Councillor Barber agreed) that the report should be referred back so' ;as' councillor s_ would have an opportunity of giving the question 'proper consideration. Councillor R. A. Wright thought the'discussion savoured of distrust of the committee. <Hp asked: What-.was the uso of special committees being appointed to deal with branches of the council's business and giving much of their time to the settlement of these quest-ions if all this bother followed? The' Reserves Committee was best qualified to draw, up a on tho subject:. Councillor H. Buddie' considered tliorowas something wrong with thocouncil's methods if, when important proposals came up, councillors got up to oppose them because they were- not sufficiently acquainted- with.the sub-' ject to vote on it. . , - , Councillor, M. F. Luckie spoke in defence, of the Wellington Cricket Association, which body had spent hundreds of pounds.on the-Basin Reserve in past years, and had really gone to the very limit of its resources in carrying out work on tho ground. Tile Junior Association had not applied to the committee to get on the Basin Reservo. Councillor G. Frost (chairman of t'he Reserves Committee) explained that the Junior Cricket Association was provided for on other grounds and had not made any application for the use of tho Basin Reserve. Ho pointed out that under the new_ system there would be a considerable improvement in the management of the. ground so that both the council and the Cricket Association would make a -savins—tho council £83 per annum; and tho association £105 per annum. If councillors thought tho five .years' terms was too long, lie would be willing to accept an amendment to three years. Anything less than three years was impracticable'. The amendment- moved by Councillor : Tregear was lost by 7 votes to G, and Councillor J. Godber then moved that the term of tho agreement be altered to three years. Councillor L. M'Riiizie seconded this amendment which was carried - by 10 •votes to 3. The - report tffls then adopted in face of another protest by Councillor Fitzgerald, who said lie would give uotico of motion to rescind tlio whole proposal.