The Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, SEPT. 28th., 1916. THE TARGET RESERVE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1616, 28 September 1916, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, SEPT. 28th., 1916. THE TARGET RESERVE.

AT a special meeting of the Borough Council on Monday night last a motion was carried authorising the Council to lease what is known as the Target Reserve for periods from seven to sixty-six years. The motion, legally, is not worth the paper it is written on, and no powers contained in (he Municipal Corporations Act can .alter the terms and conditions set forth in the deed of conveyance embodied in the Act of IS7S. To do what the Council propose would require an amendment to the Act of 1878. The limitation of the lease is distinctly set forth as five years. Further, the Act provides that all rents and profits from the said reserve shall be expended in the* improvement of the said land and for no other purpose. For the benefit of the Council and the Foxtun public we publish the Act in lull, which, until amended by Parliament, must be carried out in. accordance with the deed of conveyance:—

Aii Act In provide for I lie disposal of a Heservc in tlic Township of Foxton, in the County of Mannwalu. [2!)th Oct. .1878.] Be it enacted hy the General Asscinlily of New Zealand in Parliament assembled, and hy the authority of (he same, as follows;- — 1. The Short Title of this Act shall he “The Foxton Deserves Act. 1878.” ’ o It shall he lawful for the Governor to convey to the Board of Commissioners of the local District of Foxton all that piece of land the boundaries whereof are set forth in the Schedule hereto, to he held in (rust for a public park and recreation ground and rifle range for (he inhabitants of Foxton and its vicinity: Provided always that in (lie deed of conveyance there shall he inserted a condition that all rents and profits derived from the said land shall he expended in the improvement of the said laud, and for no other purpose: Provided further that the said Board of Commissioners shall not have power to lease , any part of the said land for a longer period than tive years, and that such leasing- shall' he hy public auction. SCHEDULE. All thut parcel estimated to contain 31)3 acres, being the Sections numbered 477 and 410 on the plnn of the Township of Foxton, in the

Manawatu District. Bounded towards (lie North by Rodion number 332, Township of Carnarvon, 4911 links; towards (ho East by a road lino, 9042 links; towards (ho South by Section number 5.47,3908 links; and towards the West by Section number 470,8944 links. Succinlly, the Act (1) puts a time-limit of live years on (he lease, (2) all revenues and rents shall be expended on improving l (ho reserve for no other purpose whatsoever, (3) that the reserve shall Ik* used for a public park and recreation ground for all ‘time for the people of Foxton. Every year by systematic planting something should have been done to convert this sandy waste into a beauty spot. So far nothing has been done in this connection. Each Arbor Bay the three hundred children attending the State School could plant a tree (here, and in the years to come the reserve would be transformed into what it was originally intended to be. This work would not interfere with the short lease period, bul to suggest that the reserve be passed over for a period of (!(!, or even 21 years, if that were legally possible, would be nothing more than a scandal. What is required is a Beautifying Society to take up this matter and to carry out the spirit and the letter of (he Act, which seems to have been overlooked by the Council.