FOXTON AS A TENNIS CENTRE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2560, 27 March 1923, Page 3

FOXTON AS A TENNIS CENTRE.

Sir, —Mr Fergie struck the right note on Thursday evening when he said “he hoped the movement to get more courts would he gone on with.” He pointed out “that nowhere in New Zealand in a town the size of Foxton were there so few courts.” It is to such players as Mr Fergie who lias played in every part of the Dominion, that the want of larger playing area is so apparent; and it is greatly to be regretted that he is going away, for he was very keen and was willing to give every assistance in helping the Club to acquire the ground necessary. The position at the present time is such that, no matter how keen a player is, lie cannot obtain anything like adequate practice necessary for improvement. If the Club, arranges matches with outside clubs all those members' who are not in the team have to lie content, to look on. In fact there are not sufficient courts even to play a match, and there never has been a match played on the local courts in which some of the games had fo be cut out. Outside of a few players very little interest is taken in the game of tennis, and this is as it. should not be, for tennis is a game that can be indulged in by both sexes, and is one of the best physical and mental exercises possible for every muscle in the body is brought into action, it trains the player not to hesitate in making decisions', to be sure of hand, and quick in the eye sight, which, boiled down, stands for absolutely mental and physical fitness. In every town and district the game is going ahead by leaps and bounds, and smaller towns than Foxton hold tournaments,- etc. Why not Foxton? We have clubs all around us, in fact there are fully a dozen clubs all within an hour’s ride hv motor car. If we had I lie courts the centrally situated position of Foxton would assure the success of a tournament and we could have one or two visiting teams coming to Foxton every week. This would help to enliven the town and bring people to the town that would not otherwise come. I believe if the matter was put in a proper light the townspeople would rally round, and help the Club to put matters on a more satisfactory footing-—I am, etc., PLAYER. [IN connection with the above if may be of interest to mention that the Palmerston North Borough Council has put down four grounds for tennis and croquet in different, parts of the town and the Wellington City Council has recently set aside 10 acres of land for tennis. More encouragement should lie given by the Borough Council fo sports bodies for recreation purposes. The upkeep of such grounds could lie maintained by the clubs. —Ed H.] Sir, —It appears to me that Or. Smith and Mr Hollings are of one mind in regard to the erection of Municipal Chambers, public library and reading room. Cr. Smith says erect the Council Chamber with the insurance money and later on get a loan for the public library and reading room. Mr Hollings favours a loan for the whole job and a swimming baths. But, Sir, both of them to my mind, miss the point. Can the Borough Council morally build the Council Chambers with the money raised with the sanction of the ratepayers for Municipal Chambers without equal consideration for reading room and library? It may be insurance money that we are going to spend but that does not alter the fact that it belongs equally to the three things and to spend all the money on only one is a breach of faith with the ratepayers and treating the loan sanction as a scrap of paper. I agree that the ratepayers should have a say in this matter before the Council spends easy money. Give the ratepayers a chance to discuss this matter and not leave a new Council to clean up the matter. —Yours etc., RATEPAYER.