A MERE SUGGESTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 May 1939, Page 3

A MERE SUGGESTION

(To the Editor.) Sir,—ln your today’s issue I read with interest the usual report of South Park Society and its desire to hand back control of its affairs to the parent body responsible for its purchase, viz., the Masterton Borough Council, and think the moment fairly opportune to show a way in which, at a long view, this fine Children’s Park might, under civic control, be made sufficiently custodian service self-supporting without in any way unduly encroaching upon the future heritage rights of the juvenile section of our community whose play area it is the universal wish it might principally remain after passing out of present unique private citizen control.

By extending its present partly-fenced-in area of children’s ~ gymnasium equipped and shed and con? venience shelter area the whole of its Donald Street capacity, all needs in this direction would seem satisfactorily sufficient for years to come. From the main entrance gates in High Street, a narrow but well drained and surface-metalled or bituminised pathway might give a double highway access to this, the most attractive portion of the park itself, and still leave ample room on the northern side of the said pathway, for the provision of a first-class boys’ cricket field (only) and a smaller area girls’ tennis court adjoining same, whilst calling upon South Masterton residents to support a conjoining southern site bowling green and croquet lawn, so devised as to make the Donald Street side of the park—about a third north, south, west of the entire area, the sole mother, children and girl associated portion of the park; leaving the High Street (two-thirds remaining) portion of the park as the man and boy associated playing area; whereby every parental control could be exercised over the juvenile patrons of the park, without the slightest other than neighbourly interest therein, thus guaranteeing a reasonable perfection of conduct and ready help in case of accident as far as children, young and old, are concerned. One has only to visit our main Park to see the growing popularity of its bowling green and tennis courts, to more easily visualise the soon imperative need to either extend the green at the expense of the courts, or find a bowling green of larger dimensions elsewhere. Being fairly well provided with grounds for winter sports, why not look ahead, instead of marking time, and make South Park the summer paradise it might easily become (under such aegis) for both old and young. —I am, etc., ‘‘NEXT GENERATIONIST.” Masterton, May 13.