PUKEKURA PARK BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 260, 13 April 1915, Page 8

PUKEKURA PARK BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING, The monthly meeting of the Pukclumi lMrk Board was held last night. Present: Messrs R. Cock (chairman), ,S. Percy-Smith, W. L, Newman, Harris iord, and R. 0. Hughos. Apologies were received >Tom His Worship the Mayor, Crs. Collls and Ambury-, and Mr, P. I*. Corkill.

It was decided that Messrs A. L. Humphries and Jas. Clarke be invited to attend a special meeting to discuss matters in connection with the sports ground. Mr. S. Percy-Smith was elected visitor for the month.

II • , CURATOR'S REPORT. I The curator's report was read as folj lows:— I _ I have to report that since last meetI ing of the hoard the work of the park i start' has been of a general nature. A j week was occupied in mowing rough i grass, grubbing seedlings of gorse and broom, and burning them. Three of the eight trees sanctioned to be removed by the board have been felled and cut into firewood. Owing to a fortnight's illness of one of the staff, the work was disconI timied until to-day, when we again con- | timied it. The equinoctial winds gave us a week's general cleaning, but very little ] injury was done in the park. Re-form-j ing of walks, building two sheds, and repairing fences required seven days to j complete them. There are still other j fences to be repaired, for which work j we obtain posts from the maerocarpa j trees which we .ire cutting down this week. During the present fine weather we intend to complete the tree-felling and fence repairing before proceeding with other work authorised by the board. j T_ would earnestly call the board's atten- ! tion to the loss of the tamer ducks from j the park. Since the first week in January we have lost over thirty, some of , them being the finest specimens of those received by the Taylor White bequest. I have been snaring a number of wild ducks lately, which is the only means I now have of maintaining the stock and number in the park. Quito a number of the ducks are lame at present, she-win" that they have been struck with sticks or stones. These criminal acts are, of course, done during the night. The two posts which we put in the centre of the walk at the triangle, bed to prevent carts driving up to the upper lake have been twice wrenched and dug out and thrown into the lakes. I will hand the names of those who did these acts to the board at next meeting, and would ur*e that criminal proceedings bo taken against them. I would here refer to a matter which, sooner or later, will have to be adopted. Althotigh the board may have tolerated, and may continue to tolerate people passing through the park at night, no one lias any legai right there alter huhM. There are, of Course, many law-abiding citizens who pass throu-'ii the park at night. Such freedom, nevertheless, allnrds opportunities to those criminally disposed, as I have shown, lucre, has been an individual frequenting the park at all hours of the night lately. We may rest assured that he is alter no good purpose.