STRATFORD DOMAIN BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 December 1915, Page 3

STRATFORD DOMAIN BOARD.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Stratford, Friday, A meeting of the Domain Board was held this afternoon. Present: Mr. G. N. Curtis (chairman), Messrs T. H. Penn, P. Thomson, and R. MciK. Morison. Stratford Borough Council wrote informing the Board that the File Brigade asked and obtained permission for the use of a piece of the Domain for practice purposes, and the Council had laid on the necessary water to the ground at a cost of £4O. Tliis expenditure had been rendered useless by the granting of the Croquet Club of the piece of land previously reserved for the Brigade. This necessitated a further expenditure of over £4O by the Council to extend the water main further south in order to give the Brigade the amount of ground necessary for their purpose. It now transpires that one of the Tennis Clubs was making applications for a piece of the ground reserved for the Brigade, and if this application were aoceded to, it would nullify the efTect of the Council's expeediture of over £SO. The Council therefore requests that the ground now occupied by the Brigade he reserved for their use, and trusts the Board will recognise the justice of the request. H. E. Laurence, secretary of the Park Tennis Club, wrote as follows:—Some months ago your Board granted permission to the Park Croquet and Tennis Club to enclose 100 feet from the plantation fence on the eastern side of Victoria Park extending along the end of the hockey ground as as required by the club. This permission was obtained to enable the tennis section of the club to form new courts, and portion of the ground was fenced in. The tennis members of the above-named club have since formed a club apart from the Croquet Club, and as they are at present using a portion of th Croquet Club's lawn, and their membership has greatly increased, they desire to fence in the vest of the ground in respect to which the Board gave permission to the Croquet Club, in order to form at least one new court. It is proposed to make this a "eliip" court, and this could be prepared and made fit for play in a few weeks. I am. therefore, desired to write the Board asking for its formal consent to the enclosure of the strip 100 feet wide lying between the present courts and the bank of the creek, permission to enclose which was given to the Croquet and Tennis Club, whose members are aware of this application, and approve of it. Members of mv committee will be glad to wait pn the Board at next meeting if des'red.' The chairman said the Fire Brigade wanted the whole strip from east to west, and owing to granting the Hockey Club an additional strip it prevented the Fire Brigade using the ground as promised.

Mr. Penn said the point was whether they had given the Tennis Club land that was promised to the brigade. Mr. Thomson said it appeared that the brigade had a prior right.

Mr. Morison thought that there had been some misunderstanding between the Tennis Club and the Fire Brigade. According to the Board's letter, they had given the Tennis Club permission to take whatever land they required, and because they had not fenced in all they wanted at the time it did not follow that the Board could say now that the Tennis Club could not take what they required.

The chairman said the domains were for recreation, and the Tennis Club win only a portion of the public, while the Fire Brigade represented the whole of the ratepayers. When the Board granted the Fire Brigade they did not thin!; they would require all the land. Tt seemed that the Board had committed themselves to the Fire Brigade. Mr. Morison said surely it did not follow that they would have to stop beautifying and planting and extending tile tennis and croquet grounds because they had granted the brigade land. He did not want to reflect on the good work of the brigade. A deputation, consisting of Messrs 11, E. .Laurence and H. Arthur waited or the Board, representing the Park Tennis and Croquet Club, and said according to a letter from the Board it appeared tliey had a right to enclose right down to the lake. At present they wanted another 30 feet, and as the club was growing, they wished permission to go down to the lake.

Captain Grubb, who represented the Brigade, said that hv granting the ground to the Tennis Cluli the Fire Brigade would not be able to use the part granted to advantage, and the money Bpent by the Council would be wasted. It seemed that permission had been given to a church to enclose a piece of land for tennis, but this was three years ago, and nothing had been done by them.

Mr. Thomson asked would it inconvenience the Croquet Club if permission was refused.

Mr. Laurence said the club was cramped for room on Thursday, over twentyfive players were on the courts, and they "had to restrict the players to a time limit in order to give all a game. The Board then visited the ground, and it was decided to adjourn the aplieation until the Methodist Church had been communicated with, and informed that application had been made for the grant originally granted them, and unless a fresh application were made and £2O deposited as a matter of good faith their application would lapse.