The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY LEVIN TUESDAY.APRIL 13.1915. FOR PEOPLE OR ASSOCIATION

Horowhenua Chronicle, 13 April 1915, Page 2

The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY LEVIN TUESDAY.APRIL 13.1915. FOR PEOPLE OR ASSOCIATION

Levin Lund Domain, which includes some fight acres of park lands and natural bush. besides thy old racecourse area, is in danger of being wold. The prow and cons of the proposal are so well known that only brief recapitulation is needed here. It in argued, pro. thai the area was granted origin.;l'y tor a showgrounds and racecour.se. .As a .seeming corollary, it"'is asserted that this state of affairs justifies the Government in selling the reserve and buying, with the proceeds another area of land more suitably situated for purposes of the Horowhenua Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and handing over the control of such land to the associations executive. Coll.. it is asserted that the Government has no right to accept hearsay evidence as to the intention or utterances of any bygone .Ministry or Minister in granting the reierve tor the use of the people of Levin and district. Those who hare perused the deed gift says unreservedly that the deed makes no reference to an Agricultural and Pastoral Association. 'I bat this particular reserve should be sold for benefit of the country A. and P. Association is now viewed with favour by many Levin citizens. A member of the superseded Levin Domain Board, at its obituary meeting, expressed his view that fttaki reserve or Shannon recreation grounds could he •sold for the association's benefit just as fairly or unfairly as the Levin Domain could be. seeing that the association is coinpesed of farmers and settlers resident all along the coast, mid inland, from Paraparauniu to .Shannon and Tokomarii'. Further it is conton (led. and we must say the contention seems reasonable to us, that. Mr F. Retter told the Minister for Internal Affairs too little when at last week's deputation to the Minister, in Levin, lis assorted that by personal enquiry lie had lotuid that six out of the seven members of Levin Domain Board were not against the proposal to transfer the domain to the Horowhcnua A. and P. Association. At a meeting of the board, held late in last year, this very contention of Mr Retter's was spoken of, and at least TWO members of the board protested that they liatl never I given Mr Retter to understand that they would agree to such a proposal. The board's final attitude on the other proposal to sell or transfer the park property—certainly was an uncompromising one. and by an absolutely unanimous vote of the whole membership of the hoard it was resolved that no approval could be given until the board was shown that the land to be exchanged or bought was equal to the board's reserve which it was suggested the Government .should sell on on behalf of the Horowhenua A. and P. Association. It was unfortunate for the people of this district that, the Levin Domain Board's term of .office expired late last year and that the Government failed to reappoint them, md thus disabled them from watching the interests of the. community and the country. The reason advanced lor this step was that the Government's settled policy was to rest the administration of all reserves in the borough 1 councils. As a broad policy this seems ! well, but there remains the anomaly ' that the largest domains in this dis- 1 ti ict both are outside of the borough ] boundaries. And. hv the way of fleet i ; ing digression it may be said that the ' board that administered Levin Domain ! showed its fitness for the trust reposed mjtjthroughout its long life, and on

its decease handed over to the Crown Lands Department a creditable park as well aS a fairly large bank balance that would have been spent for :urtlier improving the park this year. To sum up, we would say that those who contend for the sale or exchange of the park are best considering the interests and desires of the Horowhenua A. and P. Association, but on the more important ground of local polity they stand less firmly.