THE PARK.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 February 1921, Page 5

THE PARK.

QUESTION OF CONTROL. DEPUTATION TO COUNCIL. THE MATTER DEFERRED. As the outcome of a discussion at the last monthly meeting of the Pukekura Park Board, at which the question of municipal control was reviewed, a deputation of members of the board waited on the New Plymouth Borough Council last night, urging that, in view of the development of affairs in connection with the park generally, a reconstruction of the constitution of the board was desirable. Two of the principal points in their plea was that the present state of affairs did not give the board enough assured finance, and also that the existing system of practically a life term for members was not a representative ,or desirable one. The deputation consisted of Mr. C. E. Bellringer (chairman), Mrs. C. H. Burgess, Messrs. P. E. Stainton and R. C. Hughes. The first speaker was Mr. Bellringer, and he reviewed the decision of the last meeting of the board, when it was decided to approach the council. The position, he said, briefly was that if the park was to be improved they would need a more substantial revenue than at present. He pointed out that they were not approaching the council w : .*;h a load of debt; but, in fact, owing to the splendid efforts of Mrs. Burgess, the amount raised by the park movement last year had placed the funds in a good position. They had concluded, however, that it was better to interview the council at once than wait till funds were depleted. A further point advanced by the speaker was that there should be a more representative board, the system of life membership being obsolete. )

BURDEN OF UPKEEP. The Act provided that on a petition of a majority of members of the board the body would be dissolved, and the park would be vested in the council. The board had been in receipt of a subsidy from the council, and this had been increased from time to time, last year’s vote being £250. With the ruling rates of wages, and othfer costs of upkeep, however, tl\e revenue from assured sources did not meet the expenditure, and if they had to rely on this they would be about £4OO deficient. Something was necessary in the direction of a more assured income for the park. The cost of upkeep should be borne equally by all. Mr. Bellringer remarked that he did not know of any other town where there were so many different bodies in control of parks and domains, and he believed the time woulfl come when all these would have to be vested in the council.

Mr. R. C. Hughes said the matter was one on which the board had not come to a definite conclusion, and they were present more for the purpose of formulating a scheme. He had stated that the handing over of the park would be suicidal to the board. He did not mean, however, that they could go on without borough assistance, and he believed that a further increase to their income was necessary. He suggested that the number of members of the board be extended to twelve, some of whom would be representatives of the council. With regard to the nomination system, he pointed out that it had an advantage, in that the members who were selected were chosen by reason of the individuals’ particular interest in the park affairs. He did not think there should be any objection to life membership, as they grew more experienced as their term of office progressed. He did not wish to disparage the members of the council in supporting the alternative system. He would also like some assurance that the suggestion put before the board in regard to putting the trams through the park would not be revived, and also that the council would not enter on any wholesale destruction of the trees. At the same time he was not objecting to a judicious thinning out of the trees. It would be a mistake to cut too many open spaces, as what most charmed the visitor was the forest-like appearance which was presented in »the park. He believed that in the control of the park it would be better to have a certain number of nominated persons and a proportion of representatives of the council. By this means the continuity of the work would be better maintained than by a council whose personnel was often changing.

BOARD FAVORS CHANGE. Mr. Stainton remarked that Mr. Hughes had said that the board had not made up their minds. Nevertheless, the speaker thought the members were fairly unanimously in favor of a change. There were two reasons, the first being that the town. had so grown that further extension of activity was necessary, and secondly that the present method had outlived' its usefulness. He partly agreed with Mr. Hughes in regard to the efficiency of a .separate board to manage the park, but he did not agree with life membership, and urged that automatic retirement after a certain period of office was desirable. At present the board was nothing more or less than an autocracy, and this was not effective. The speaker went into the financial side, and pointed out that the present annual expenditure (without the cost of services of a curator) was £6OO, and the only assured revenue per year amounted to about £2OO. As the result of the park campaign last year they had £lOOO in the savings bank, but this would not suffice for long. Further, he did not think that it should be the duty of board members to go and solicit subscriptions in aid of the park. In reply to the Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson), Mr* Bellringer said the course desired was that the council should take over the control, or either institute a board on which the borough would have direct representation, as suggested by Mr. Hughes. The speaker pointed out that really the council’s representatives on the board at present had no legal status, and if their votes were challenged they could not be allowed. Personally, he did not believe this could be allowed to continue. The conference with the counci had been proposed to discuss the two and, formulate a scheme. Tn reply to Mr. Hughes, the general manager (Mr. F. T Bellringer) strongly emphasised the fact that it was not the policy of the council to destroy trees. CONTROL OF ALL PARKS. The Mayor said that he was almost sure that if the park was handed over to the council their move would be to call a public meeting and hand the control back to a management committee. The deputation spoke of striking a rat®

for the upkeep, but he pointed out that they had several parks, and if they took over one they would be expected to assume responsibility for th© lot, and could not ask other management committees to carry on. There was also the financial aspect, generally, to he kept in view, and he remarked that the council would have a trying year ahead. Or. A. S. Brooker asked if the council could not strike a Pukekura Park rate. The Mayor replied that they did rot strike a particular park rate, but in the ordinary rates a proportion was for park upkeep. This was set out in a note to the rate demand.

Cr. V. Griffiths said he thought the time had arrived for a change in the constitution of the Park Board, and that it was not only desirable, but necessary, if the standard reached at present was to be maintained. The town was particularly well endowed in parks, and he believed the council should employ a curator for the whole of the parks of the town, and the work would then be consolir’ a ted. A general scheme could be drawn up for the improvement of all parks, and the services of the curator would be available. The parks could continue to be managed and governed ae they were at the present time by private committees, and the only extra cost to the council would be the salary of a curator.

Cr. W. F. Short expressed the opinion that, while it would he idea] to take up the scheme suggested by Cr. Griffiths, if they had the revenue, he believed the most feasible way was for the park to be controlled by a management committee. He did not think, however, that the present committee could be expected to undertake the financing as in the past

DECISION IN A WEEK. Mrs. Burgess said that their only chance of altering the constitution, and eliminating the life membership, was for the Borough Council to take over control and set up a fresh management committee. The council could then receive assistance from outside members they chose to nominate. The speaker pointed out that the park board at present was really only a small body, and the idea of the change was also to promote a keener interest in the affairs, besides securing an alteration in the constitution. More supervision was necessary, in order that the money available should be expended to the best advantage. Mrs. Burgess thought the time had come for the borough to assume the responsibility. Mn Hughes said that the Park Board had been in existence for 45 years, and this was the first occasion on which they had quailed before the question of cost. This was in spite of the big effort made last year, which, it seemed, must have been very exhausting to the principal participants. In the earlier times they had gone on, and if they had been short of m'oney they had gone to the bank and signed their names to an overdraft.

The Mayor remarked to the deputation that the Council would like time to consider the maitter, and would give their decision a week hence.

Mr. Bellringer said that the idea was that more public representation was necessary on the board. They had not quailed before the question of finance, and the position was that they had come when they were fairly well off in regard to finance, rather than when they were near bankruptcy. They did not want to force the matter on the council, but rather chose to have a conference, though they could secure a dissolution of the board by petitioning the Government. In this event the control would automatically revert to the council. Eventually the council deferred its decision till next week.