“GROUNDS LIKE SAHARA”

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 110, 7 February 1928, Page 10

“GROUNDS LIKE SAHARA”

Sir,—Under the heading given above in your issue of February 1, au attack was made on those responsible for the care of Williams Park, Day’s Bay. I believe that the matter of .the propriety of such attacks on public servants may well be left to the judgment of a true sporting community such as we have. I would, however, like to say that, with ample opportunity of judging, .1 consider - that the caretaker and his assistants work indefatigably in the interests of ’ the public who use the grounds.

My purpose in writing this letter is not to defend Hie caretaker, as such attacks usually call for no defence. I do, however, wish to point out to those who have read the article one or two errors either stated oi implied. Mention is made of “The green, wellgrassed condition oj the Croydon School grounds.” Since reading the article, I have inspected our lawn and can find hardly a blade of green grass. I believe the poet, Campbell, wrote, "Distance lends enchantment to tlie view and robes the mountain in its azure line.” Had your informant inspected our grounds from close quarters, he would have seen that Hie green tint observable from a distance is given by numbers of dandelions, whose deep tap roots have enabled them to survive, while the grass has, like my neighbours’ gruss, succumbed to the drought. Further, there are at least three reasons why the. Croydon grounds should be greener than I hose 1 compared unfavourably with them. 1. The soils are different. Why, there is such a difference in .soils in close proximity need not be dealt with here. The fact remains that our soil is exeeptionaly heavy, with a clay subsoil, while the soil in front of the pavilion is ia light sandy soil ; one holds moisture. the other does not. 2. The Croydon grounds receive more drainage from Hie neighbouring hills. 3. 'I here arc five to six thousand people nearly every Sunday and holiday tramping over a confined spacl. in and abcul: the pavilion grounds. As the pupils have been away from Croydon since

December 16 last, there has been nq traffic whatever on the school grounds for the past seven weeks. This last is sufficient to account for any difference there might be. In regard to the implied “judicious watering," I can state that none has been done at Croydon other than on the vegetable garden. Indeed, the gardener and groundsman left the school on December IS. and as I was going on a holiday I did not engage another until I returned, and he has not yet started work, so that the school grounds have been almost wholly neglected. If there be, therefore, any difference in the grounds in our favour it must surely be due to the three reasons given abovo. Tn conclusion. Mr. Editor. I invite your correspondent to call and with me inspect our grounds. He cannot fail then to see his mistake, and. having seen, I have no doubt he will do the _ right thing. I can assure you that ! will respect you) correspondent’s wish _to remain in the dark by not disclosing his identity, which may just ns well remain hidden tinder his chosen nom-de-guerre.— I am, etc. C. H. T. SKELLEY. Headmaster, Croydon School. Day’s Bay, February 4.