A TIMELY PROTEST.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3115, 15 February 1909, Page 4

A TIMELY PROTEST.

There are no doubt very many in the community, who will cordially agree, with the protest made by Mr EI. C. Robinson at the meeting of the Masterton Trust Lands Trust Trustees on Friday evening last, when a deputation requested the Trustees to grant £SOO in aid of certain baths, which it is proposed ro establish. Dr W. H. »Hosking has offered to donate £SOO for a bath, and it would-be advisable for the town to take advantage of the offer, provided it can do sj at a reasonable cost, and wichjut further burdening tb.3 already heavily taxed ratepayer.--, but the suggestion that the . I rust Lands Trust should find £SOO tor the purpose is altogether wrongs Mr Robinson may have been somewhat emphatic in his protest, but the occasion was one that called for vigorous and plain speaking. Masterton is already well provided for an the matter of baths. The, ratepayers have found £I,OOO for the bath in Dixon Street arad for improvements at the Park Lake, and we cannot see that, for the present, at any rate, thsre is any great necessity for increasing the bathing accommodation of tbt> town. The Dixon Street bath could hai-uly bd more centrally situated thaii it is, and as to the Mayor's jr<!niark that it was proposed, if only the Trustees granted the sum of £soo, J to hand the Dixon Street bath over to the exclusive uae of the school children, we cannot see how the Borodgh Council could do anything of the kind. The Borough Council raised the money for the construction of the Dixon Street bath with the ratepayers' consent, and under agreement that the ' bath should be for the use of the lown generally. It seems to us that the Council has no power to du as suggested.