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Evening Star, Issue 2819, 1 March 1872, Page 2

I THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE CRICKET CLUBS. At last night’s meeting of the City Council the Mayor brought under the notice of that body the question of the Southern Recreation Ground aud the cricket cluhs. His Worship said that a deputation from the Dunedin Club had waited upon him, aud it appeared that the members had got an Impression that the Council intended very shortly to do away with the South Recreation Reserve. He did not know what reasons the Club had for coming to that conclusion, aud he had expressed an opinion to them that their fears were premature, although be had intimated that the feeling of the Council was ultimately to cause the Club’s booths to be removed in view of the ground being laid as a garden and shrubberies. He also told them that he thought the Council were determined to put a stop to the sale of liquors, and to cause the removal of the grog shanties, for they could be called nothing else. The Club suggested that there was plenty of room to carry out the idea of gardens, and that they should be allowed to fence in their ground; but, if playing on their present ground interfered with the safety of people on the ground, they would move their ground further southwards, and that they could occupy without any chance of injury to the public. The club further hinted that they desired to acquire a vested right over the ground, to enable them to erect a pavilion of a permanent and more ornamental character than that they now occupied. This did not tfke the fo-m of an absolute request ; but be gathered that it might form the subject of a future request. He mentioned to the deputation that so far as he understood the feeling of the Council—and certainly speaking for himself--they would not grant anything in the shape of a vested right; nor did be think the Council would allow them to erect a fence. He also gave the deputation to understand that the Council had no immediate intention of removing the clubs from the ground. Mr Barnes : Is it the intention of the Government to disturb the cricketers ? His Worship : Not unless it is done by request, L apprehend. Mr Barnes did not approve of converting the whole of the reserve into a garden, as