THE RECREATION GROUNDS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 283, 27 May 1912, Page 7

THE RECREATION GROUNDS

THE PARK BOARD'S STRICTURES. SPORTS COMMITTEE ON THE DEFENCE. *At it* last meeting, the Pukekura Park Board took the sports committee to task, alleging that the Sports (or Recreation) Ground was in a lamentable position, through neglect on that body's part. According to one member, the committee had lost its wonted energy. Another thorn in the >ide of the Board appeared to be that the rent payable by the committee was £SO in arrears. The committee, a purely voluntary body, resents 'hese strictures, and its statement of the case puts another complexion on the state of affairs.

"BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE." i Yesterday, a News reporter questioned Mr J. Clarke, secretary of the committee, on the subject. Mr. Clarke was emphatic that the Board was barking up the wrong tree, and he added that there were several factors to be taken into consideration. The foremost was the state of the ground—if it could be called such-- when the committee took it in' I hand. Matters, he said, were brought to a head as the result of the English reprfsentative football match which was |>layed on the ground in 1904. At that time the reserve was often almost knee deep in mud. Combined with this, was the knowledge that the Rugby Union had tacitly decided not to play any more matches on the ground, until it was brought into line with the requirements of Rugby. The outcome was a conference of sports bodies, which ultimately gave birth to the Sports Committee. WHAT THE COMMITTEE HAS DONE. Mr Clarke here went on to say that the Park Board appeared to have entirely overlooked the fact that, since it* inception, the committee had expended over £2OOO in improving, or, rather, making, the ground. It had enlarged the ground by half a chain all round, and constructed terraces, a work of no small magnitude. When it first leased the ground there were practically no terraces, or at least those in existence provided accommodation for only about 200 persons. With the advent' of the committee, however, terraces had been formed, which would seat 2000 spectators. Under the terms of the lease, the committee was bound to spend £I4OO on improvements. It had gone further than this, however, and had exceeded the stipulated amount by fully £6OO. Furthermore, by carrying out surface work by day labor instead of by contract, it kad effected a clear saving of £3OO. Touching on another point, Mr Clarke explained what was keeping the committee back now was the fact that it was saddled with a loan of £4OO. payable to the New Zealand Rugby Union. Already £2OO of the loan had been paid off in yearly instalments of £SO, and by the end of the present football season the debt would be further reduced to £l5O. REVENUE NOT TO BLAME. The trouble did not lie in the fact, as some people imagined, that there had been a falling off in revenue. It had not depreciated to any great degree. As a matter of fact, the Park Board only used to average about £BO a year, whereas the ground was bringing in about £93 to the sports committee. The position was, however, that the bulk of the revenue had to meet interest and rent charges. Taking last year's balancesheet, he pointed out that out of a revenue of £lO4, £6O 7s Id had been i swallowed up by repayment of loan and interest to the Rugby Union, and £25 went in rent. The result was that only £lB 6s Cd could be spent on up-keep. The security held by the Union for its loan of £4OO, comprised a £2O guarau- ' tee by each of twenty c:'.:::«:i 5 . Under the circumstances, the committee looked upon it as its duty to those publicspirited individuals to make the repayment of the loan the first call upon its 4 funds. ' NO CAUSE FOR ALARM. ! '' Once the debt was paid off, the committee would, without an increase in ( revenue, be able to expend £1 a weekmore on the up-keep of the ground than its finances at present permitted. With', a view to tidying over its present difficulties, the committee intended s to endeavor to make New Plymouth and its recreation grounds the place of venue of the second grade band contest, next Christmas. Continuing, Mr Clark remarked that the committee would willingly go out of office to-morrow but for the fact that the whole of the loan was yet to be paid off. It had, indeed, more than once discussed, the quefMon of handing back the ground to the hoard,'but members had come to the conclusion that hefore such a step was taken the debt would .have to be wiped off. In view of the fact that three or fiur representative Rugby games were 10 be played at New Plymouth this year, the arrears in rent did not trouble the committee. Concluding, Mr Clarke said that it must be apparent to all that, with its chronic state of impecuniosity the Park Board would never have been able to spend £2OOO on improving the ground. For. the present, he had no fears as to the future.