Children’s Playground for Feilding

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 58, 11 March 1944, Page 6

Children’s Playground for Feilding

QUESTION OF DENBIGH SQUARE SITE The announcement that Cr. S. and Mrs. Smith had offered to provide £2oo towards the cost of establishing a children’s playground in Feilding was greeted with applause at Thursday si meeting of the Borough Council. Following the remarks of the Mayor (Mr. T. L. Seddon) published in yesterday’s “Times,” Cr. W. 'V. Andrews said that he had long advocated that some such provision should be made and he wholeheartedly supported the idea. He favoured Denbigh Square as being the most suitable site and went on to. aver that the day had passed when children should be confined to the back yards of their homes to play. .... ‘‘ I have every admiration for the generosity of Cr. and Mrs. Smith but I cannot support the site at Denbigh Square,” said Cr. A. C. McCorkindale. He disagreed with Cr. Andrews’ remark about children playing in their back yards; it was the bc3t place for them for it offered the homo environment, and control and having reared a family which had been happy to play on the lawn with either children he failed to see in it anything warranting its condemnation. In the centres of population where there was considerable congestion and perhaps no back yards then playgrounds were desirable, but conditions of that typo did not exist in Feilding. He would like to see the money put to some other purpose where it could serve the youth of the town. He would be sorry to see mechanical play, things for children erected in Denbigh Square and he assured the council that there would be organised opposition to any interference with the trees and lawns on Denbigh Square. His feeling was that the playground should be at Johnston Park or Kowhai Park. The council, he suggested, should study the interests of the residents in the vicinity of Denbigh Square. Cr. Guv expressed his thanks to Cr. and Mrs. Smith and heartily supported the Denbigh Square site which was in every wav more suitable than either Johnston Park or Kowhai Park. Cr. L. Bould expressed like sentiments. It had been stated, said Cr. C. B. McClure, that there was no place in Fcilding for mothers to take young children. This was incorrect. There was the Community Centre where mothers could leave their children in the knowledge that they would be well cared for bytrained adults and have supervision. He could not see a playground in Denbigh Square without provision for conveniences and supervision. No mother would be prepared to leave her children there without the knowledge that there would bo supervision. The provision of conveniences which would bo essential would prove a menace unless there was constant and proper supervision, he averred. He also made reference to hooliganism which was likely to play havoc with such a playground during darkness. He supported Cr. McCorkindale. He could not seo any suitable site for such a play-ground and was not satisfied that it was necessary. Cr. R. Burne, in offering his congratulations to Cr. and Mrs. Smith, expressed himself as being somewhat diffident regarding the Denbigh Square site but was unable to think of any I other suitable location. Commending the a. .ion of Cr. and Mrs. Smith which, he said, was inspired by a love of children, Cr. Buist suggested that there would be objections whatever the site. He agreed with the Denbigh Square proposal and the council would have to consider fencing in the area and making provision for conveniences. He considered that the mothers of young children would welcome the playground. The Mayor said that the arguments raised had been put forward time and time again yet many' centres had children ’s "playgrounds. Cr. Smith said that neither he nor Mrs. Smith had any wish to dictate the site. For years he had been concerned about the utter lack of amenities for children in Feilding and desired that some provision be made. Bo thought it was wrong in both principle and fact that children should be compelled to play in their back yards. He favoured community playgrounds and could see nothing wrong with them. The council agreed to refer the matter to the reserves committee for investigation and report. Cr. McCorkindale did not accept the invitation to act on the reserves committee for the purpose of considering the proposal. The council also recorded its grateiul thanks to Cr. and Mrs. Smith for their generous action.