PUKEKURA PARK BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 295, 6 May 1913, Page 7

PUKEKURA PARK BOARD.

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the Pukekura Park Board was held last night, the chairman (Mr. C. W. Govett) presiding; Other members present were: Messrs. W. Newman, R. Cocks, Harris Ford, F. P. Corkill and G. W. Browne. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT. The chairman's report was read as follows: In accordance with the practice of my predecessors, I wish, at the end of my term of office as chairman of the Pukekura Park Board, and after being over 22 years a member of the Board, to make a report which is a personal one, and docs not necessarily embody the views of the Board. The year 1912-1913 hasbeen a very uneventful one, but one of very steady progress. After a long period of "joint and several" overdraft, .se ; B6ard started last year with a credit Balance of £34 3s. 9d,'caused by the gen,erous support of the public at our first Saturday" collection. The bal-artce-.sheet which is now presented shows a debit balance of £32 Is. Against this the last "Park Saturday" collections, ..amounting to £122, 10s lOd, rentals amounting to .£25, a sum of £ls from .the',. Sports Ground Committee, and a Jsjim.of £25 from the Hon. 0. Samuel, ,'M.L.C,. have been received too late for the balance-sheet, so that the practical .credit balance is £155 9s lOd, and with this ,sum, the balance of the borough subsidy and windfalls, the Board has to face.the responsibilities of the present • year. It was only natural that the first collection should be larger than , the ..second, being £lO4 los Od as compared with £122 Ids l()d, for very spei cial contributions were given to Iget | the Board out of their then overwhelming financial difficulties. I may, however, take it.that, the "Park Saturday" of April, IJII3, represents a sum not less than the Board may reasonably expect in the future, and as improvements have to I, be .considered and arranged for be--1 forehand, no doubt (he Board will rely -upon.getting ■ not less than £122 every year. The Board feels extremely grateful to all our friends who have done so much, while its gratitude has in it "an expectation of future 1 benefits." By far the greater number of residents in this district do not realise what a beautiful property they possess, and it 'is those who have travelled much and (are able to make comparisons who understand host that the Park is in many, respects-rmique in its beauty and surroundings. Sir Rider Haggard, who has seen much, wa"§ most earnest in his expressions of delight and wonder at what had -been done in little more than one generation, and said truly that it Was the pvcttiest-park in Australasia, and he might have said more without exaggeration*-::. With regard to the future policy oiiifchCi Board, it should, in my opinion, ihei:onuiof ,, eontintiaiiee on the'same lilies .of planting out and encouraging the growth .of native trees and shruus and by means of paths making every part of the Park accessible and at the same time 1 using plenty of flowers to make a bright foreground, I wish that more people would devote a little time to exploration instead' of going round and round the lakes and seeing only a very small portion', and that not the most beautiful. The constitution of the Board and the practical Y'h tenure of "Its members lias some disadvantages, but it is, in my opinion, absolutely certain that no purely elective body would have succeeded in the way the present Board has done, and it is found that the borough representatives become imbued 'with the spirit of the Board in quite a different way to what they would do if the borough were the sole managing body, and the mixture works satisfactorily. The system of voluntary contributions has worked extraordinarily well in the past, btit it is not fair that the whole community should reap where it has not sown, and I myself earnestly trust that the borough will before long, by means of a special rate, raise sufficient for the upkeep of the Park and leave the management as at present. The annual subsidy of £l5O from the borough is much too little, and should be increased and the Park looked upon not only as a thing of beauty, but as a productive asset in the way of attracting strangers to our midst, for whether or not they 'ultimately become residents they at least spent their money freely in our midst while here. The Board welcomes proposals and suggestions for improving the Park and gives them all its .'most earnest consideration, and also invites honest criticism, as we are none of us infallible—not even the youngest.

One of the '•burning" questions about which difference of opinion exists is: What should be done with the pinus insignia? My private opinion is that these 'trees were originally planted for the sake of shelter, and as soon as they have fulfilled their function, then, as far as possible, they should be got rid of and more beautiful native trees put in their place. Pinus insignis trees planted in clumps look pretty for a few years and stand a fair amount of topping, hut there comes )v time when they become very ugly and should receive notice to quit. I hate cutting down e trees unnecessarily, but with a long ex-