MUNICIPAL SPORTS

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10713, 18 December 1912, Page 5

MUNICIPAL SPORTS

FAVOURABLE REPORT BY THE ENGINEER. f THE MATTER DEFERRED. Hie Town Clerk reported as follows at last night's meeting of the Masterton Borough Council, on tho proposal to establish a bowling green, tennis court, etc., in tho public park : "Tho portion that I would recommend to be laid out for tho purpose is j immediately on the eastern side of i the Coronation Hall. It is a piece of ground admirably suited' for the purj pose. It is- about 200 feet by 201 i feet in size, and there can be placed iupon it a full-sized bowling green, tennis court, and croquet lawn. The ground can be levelled at a very small I expense, and also top-dressed with soil which would also l>e done cheaply if it can he procured in the Park, which I think is' the case. There would be ample room left to place a wide footpath round the various* greens, so that seats could he placed upon it and visitors could sit and watch tho games in progress. There is also room for laying out flower beds, etc., and I am of the oninion that it would be a great Acquisition' to tho Park, a<? well as a beauty spot. My estimated cost for making the bowling green, including levelling, top-dressinsr, footpaths (8 chainV timber, nails, and sod banks, etc., is ' £SO. Tennis Court and Croquet Lawn. —Levelling, top-dressing, footpaths, timber, nails, wire-netting, etc., if £6O, making a totnl cost of about £l-10. For the expenditure of £2OO, the whole of the grounds could be made and material supplied for nlayintr the various games. By laving out these grounds the would be popularised also, it would have a to n+ + '-iot to lease 1 the Coronati™ Hall for +":i purposes, nnd T recommend it +o the Council fo- their very earnest consideration."

Or Ewincrton moved the adintion of the Enaiitonr'ti recommendation, anu said that ho was siv°. fmm information be had seonrerl. that + h« scheme, wen Id meet "ith H» had visited the park a good deal of Into, .and was confident, from the large number of people he had seen there, that a. scheme, such as this would 'be of great benefit to the 'community a± large.

Or Prentice seconded the motion. Or Elliott moved as an amendment, that the matter stand over until next year's estimates are drawn up. There was no allowance for the work on this year's estimates, and he thought that tho scheme should not be put in haud until it wa« fully considered. He was not sure that if the proposal were put i into force the grounds would be used for the purpose named. | Cr O'Leary. in seconding the J amendment, said that as there was no money on this year's estimates'for the work, it would not, be advisable for the sum of £2OO to be expended i on. the proposed woTk. The money, if available, could be much better I utilised on street improvements. Crs Donald and Pragnell also favoured the amendment, as they did not consider the Council's financial position strong enough to warrant such an expenditure. Or Pragnell said that after the work was completed, there would be the- additional expense of fencing and upkeep. Tho Mayor said that fencing would nor, be npcessn.rv. Tn other parts of the world public recreation grounds wore left open, a.nd it wap found that the community generally took a pride in protecting their own proi perty. Cr Flanagan no-reed with Or Elliott in the matter of expense, but he was •iiire that such n Theme, if carried into offent. would be of frent advantage to the town. He thonght that mmo endorsement should! be .given to the proposal, so that when the estimates came up next year, a sum of money could be allotted for the work. He thought that financially the scheme was a good one. fiie Mayor said that while quite appreciating the point of the amendment, he thought the resolution should be endorsed, and the money required placed unon the estimates next year. A certain amount of preparatory work- would be necessary, and if the scheme M-ore to come into force, it would facilitate the work, if nreparatins were made this year. The cost entailed this year would be compara-ti-ely small, and the grounds would be ready for use at the of next season. There was no question whatever regarding the value of such a scheme to the public, and an institution of this nature would greatly add to the attractions of the Park. The amendment on being put to the meeting, was carried by six votes to four. Cr Ewington then moved as a further amendment, that the part of the [ recommendation dealing with' <the I bowling green, which would involve a cost of about' £BO, be adopted. Cr Prentice seconded the amendJ ment. which, on being put to the I meeting, was also lost.