MUNICIPAL THEATRE.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 April 1919, Page 6

MUNICIPAL THEATRE.

NEEDS OF NEW PLYMOUTH. The need for and the prospects of securing a municipal theatre for New Plymouth are referred to in the following terms in the course of the annual report of the town clerk to the council:— When last year's report was being written negotiations were in progress for the exchange of certain borough land in King street for land owned by the Harbor Board near the railway station, for the purpose of a site for a municipal theatre. Eventually an agreement was arrived at whereby the borough gave section 2330, sub-clivisiona 1, 2, and 3 of section 233 a and section 2337 containing 1 rood, 12.50 perches, in exchange for sections 4 to 8 and 20 to 30 Mt. Eliot reserve, containing 3 roods, 18.7 perches. The values upon which the exchange was based was £7240 in each instance. The exchange arranged has since been authorised by a Local Bill, which was passed during the last'session of Parliament. Owing to the fact that the borough sections were leased whilst the harbor sections were unlet the council will lose a little over £3OO per annum in rent and rates for the time being. The council, however, considered that the advantages gained by the exchange more than compensate for this loss of revenue. If the exchange had not been effected it would have been impossible except at a prohibitive price, to acquire a sufficient area of land in a central position suitable for a municipal theatre. The new site is an admirable one for this purpose, being quite central, having street frontages on three sides and being served by both the trams and the railway. In addition, the laud having been acquired for a special purpose will prevent small shops and other unsigiitly buildings being erected right in the entrance to the town. It is not intended to erect a municipal theatre on the site at present, the idesi being to secure a suitable site before all the available land was built upon. At the same time consideration of the question cannot be long delayed as the town is very much handicapped owing to there being no theatre. In the meantime, steps should be taken to obtain at least ground plans of a suitable building in order that the land may be laid out and planted in readiness for the building. If this were done as soon as possible the land could be used as a small park, the actual site of the building being laid down in grass. This would give a good appearance to what is now a barren waste and which may easily become an eyesore. Since the above was written His Worship the Mayor with his customary generosity has offered his honorarium for the past year, amounting to £IOO, for improving this reserve. The offer was accepted with thanks, it bsing decided that the plan of the proposed improvements should be first approved by the Mayoress and by the chairman of the Reserves Committee.