THE IIRAMAR COURTS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 59, 7 September 1926, Page 3

THE IIRAMAR COURTS

COUNCIL'S ASSISTANCE

SOUGHT

REBATE OF £2400

DEPUTATION TO FINANCE OOM

MITTEE.

A deputation representing the Wellington Lawn Tennis Association waited upon the Finance Committee of the City Council yesterday afternoon to ask that the council should wipe out an account of approximately £2400 for work done in laying a bituminous paving on sixteen of the hard courts on the association's big area at Miramar. The Mayor, while expressing the council's appreciation of the good work done by the association, pointed out that the council could only act within well-defined bounds. He " promised that the request would receive very careful consideration. The president of the association (Mr. J. C. Peacock) recalled ■ the circumstances under which the association obtained a lease of the land from the council, and outlined the scheme, providing for seventy-two court* and a first-class pavilion. Before the association took the area in hand it was waste land, flooded in winter time and practically useless at any time of the year. Since then it had been drained, sixteen hard courts had been laid down, sixteen grass courts had been prepared, and it was hoped that another twentyfour grass courts would be available for play before Christmas, with sixteen more hard courts to "follow on again, and eo complete the scheme. pertain unforeseen difficulties bad arisen in regard to the raising of fund*, continued Mr. Peacock, and the posi-1 tion now was that if the council wai unable to meet the association in its request it wonld either have to build only a small pavilion or to go on with the pavilion and give up the idea of the additional sixteen hard courts. It would be realised that a pavilion was a definite necessity to such a scheme, to provide dressing accommodation and as a tea-house. "^S| The Government Statistician had recently brought down a return, said Mr. Peacock, which showed that, next to racing, tennis stood highest in numbers of enthusiasts, and in Wellington there were far more tennis players than players of. any one other game. The council had done a great deal by providing and maintaining grounds for other sports, but the tennis people had helped themselves, to the tune of £7000, with another £4000 to complete the courts. Men and women, and especially children, were catered for at Miramar, and the provision in respect of school children wag particularly appreciated, as the schools were unable to provide facilities for the playing of the game. There might be some legal difficulties in the way of the council's granting the rebate, continued Mr. Peacock, but he had no doubt that those difficulties could be overcome.

HELPING THE YOUNGSTER TO LEAEN.

Mr. G. N. Goldie emphasised the value of the Miramar courts to school children who were anxious to take up the game bat were in many cases unable to do bo as the schools were unable to provide facilities. Council and citizens generally should take a decided interest in the ground, for in five years' tim<> Wellington wouia be able to claim to have the finest tennis area in the Southern Hemisphere. When the association took up the scheme it believed that it would be able to carry, it through without outside assistance, but through circumstances over which it had no control it found that it was not possible to get in all the money required, and therefore the council was being approached for some help. Mr. N. A. Foden, as chairman of tne Karori School Committee, referred to the general lack of adequate facilities for school tennis. In answer to a question from Councillor Luckie as to the manner in which the association proposed to assist school children, Mr. Peacock said that it.wu proposed that they should be granted free use of courts on Saturday mornings, and also during school holidays during certain hours, providing, of course, that they were under proper supervision. Apart from the granting of the lease, the association had received no assistance from the City Council.

USE BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

Bid the rules of the association allow the general public the use of the grounds, asked Councillor H. D. Bennett. Only by the payment of the usual subscription, but that was very reasonable, replied Mr. Peacock. In short, said Councillor Bennett, the association was asking that the council should find £2000 of the public's money and the public should not have access to the courts. Had the association any suggestion to .ake in that legardi If the council contributed to the construction of the courts, would the association make courts available to the public! Was there to be, any quid pro quo? ( » The association had not so far considered a quid pro quo, replied Mr. Peacock. Only as regarded school children'* tennis, remarked Mr. Goldie. Councillor W. H. Bennett suggested that a certain number of courts might be set aside on which the general public could play on payment of a small fee. Possibly that could be done, said Mr. Peacock, but the association had to safeguard the interests of its life members, and also its annual revenue from subscriptions, for it would be realised that the expenses of maintaining the grounds in proper order would be heavy. The Mayor (Mr. C. B. Norwood) said that the committee and the council fully appreciated what the association had done for the game in Wellington, and the manner in which an ambitious scheme had been tackled. The fact that special facilities were to be granted to children would certainly interest councillors, and it was probably the onlv basis on which the request made could be considered. A contract had been entered into between the association and the council for the paving of the courts, and he doubted whether the council had power to cancel such a contract or to grant a rebate. However, the committee would go very carefully into the matter, and would advise the association of its decision at a later date.