SUNDAY GOLF

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2955, 19 December 1916, Page 6

SUNDAY GOLF

APPEAL TO HE MADE

DECISION OF THE CITY COUNCIL,

Iho Sunday golf controversy was again before the City Council lsst night. The Mayor submitted tho City Solicitor's report of tho case; and expressed his own opinion. He did r.ot agree that the decision of the Magistrate was right, and he mentioned that he believed Mr. M'Carthy, S.M., was an enthusiast on golf. A councillor: Unconscious bias? Mr. Luckie protested that ttio Mayor ought not to allege bias on the part of the Magistrate. The Mayor said that he bad no such intention. His view was that the council should have control of the City Heserves. The council should hove a. right to say whether recreation games should bo permitted on the reserves on Sunday. It was said that golf was a game which, from its character, should ho permitted, but if golf was a permissible game, why should not tennis or bowls be played? And, as one man had as good a right to his recreation as another, tho council would have difficulty in resisting demands for the playing of cricket and football, or the cpaning of picture theatres. He thought the council ought to appeal from tho decision, and he moved that appeal be made. Councillor Hutcheson seconded the motion. He agreed with the Mayor that if golf was to be played there could be no very strong reason why other games also ought not to bo played. _ His main reason for seconding tlio motion, however, was that in his opinion the council should havo control of its reserves. >

Councillor Frost said that he would support the proposal for appeal, because tho question-was. of such importance that an authoritative decision should be made. He did not believe that there was any more harm in playing golf on Sundays than in snorting in. the swimming baths and beachel on Sundays. Tho council mado revenue out of its baths on Sundays, and mado a. fat tramway revenue out rf users of Lyall Bay beach on Sundays. In his opinion much worse went on in Wellington on the beaches on Sundays than the playing of golf on the reserve at Berhamporo. Ho refused to believe that there was any danger to tho people frequenting tho Town Kelt bocause of the playing of golf. That was pure balderdash. He was still of opinion that the Court would in the end find that tho by-law absolutely pro'hibiting golf on Sunday was unreasonable.

Councillor Hildreth stromrlv snpnortod the proposal to anpeal. Tin believed that people were ordered off the ceurso on Sundays.to make way for golfers. That seemed to him wrong. .The rr.lfers had sh days of the week in which to plav, when the children were ot school. _ Councillor Luckie said that tho council ought certainlv go on to get a decision on a question of such very wide importance. Nobody would oppose the motion to. go to appeal. Councillor Barber held a like view, and'urged that there ought to be an appeal because other councils were anxiously awaiting tho final result of the case.

Councillor Fitztrerald said he thought the council should be satisfied with th» decision of the Magistrate, wh'nh h»d been, in effect, a- declaration that the council -had no right to make hv-hiws contrary to tho general law of the country. He would not rpnosp the motion to go to appeal, but he hoped the council would lot the matter rs=et if the Supremo Court ruled ncrsinst the by-law. Councillor Wright challenged the Magistrate's declaration that the bvlaw was repugnant to tho laws of New Zealand. It was certainly a fact that the laws of New Zealand prevented a man from doing his ordinary work or business on Sunday, whether that man believed that Sunday was the proper day of the week to be observed as the Sabbath. Councillor Luckie: Thero is a vast difference between work and play. Councillor Wright said that 'golfers objected to restriction of their liberties in regard to their game, but they were not the only people to be considered. The links were run at a loss, and the people whose money was used to make good the loss had a right to be heard also. Councillor M'Kenzie said that he could not understand Councillor Wright's attitude. Councillor Wright objected to golf, but as chairman of tho Reserves Committee he had voted to keep his caretaker of the baths at work on Sundays, "at his crdinary occupation." Councillor M'Kenzie urged that the council should get a decision of the_ Full Court on the ijuestion at issue, instead of a decision by a single Judge. Councillor Atkinson, referring to the "very interesting judgment of the very enthusiastic golfer" who had made it, said that the Magistrate had paid no, heed whatever to the very proper argument of the City Solicitor. The points raised by the City Solicitor, which were very proper matters for consideration, were entirely absent from the judgment. He strongly supportedthe motion. The motion was carried without dissent. ,