Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, JULY 19, 1941. TOWN ASSET OR LIABILITY?

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 July 1941, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY , JULY 19, 1941. TOWN ASSET OR LIABILITY?

GOOD many people may feel that in its latest decision regarding the Cameron and Soldiers’ Memorial Park, and m the discussion which led up to that decision, the Masterton Borough Council left untouched in great part the question that is really at stake. The council agreed unanimously to decline an offer by the Trust Lands Trust to pay the council £lOO a year for five years if it took over the administration of the Memorial Park. Is it not reasonably to be suggested, however, that the Borough Council has a duty and a responsibility in this matter irrespective of what the Trust Lands Trust does or does not do?

It so happens that the Trust, under the clause in its constitution which permits it to contribute to the support of objects of public utility, lias accepted and discharged fairly substantial liabilities where the Memorial Park is concerned. It has made a capital contribution ol £l,b()0 to the cost ol the, park and is now offering to contribute a further amount ol £5OO, over a, period of five years. While the Trust has power to make contributions of this kind, however, if certainly cannot be called upon to accept continuing and indefinitely extending obligations in providing and maintaining recreation and sports grounds in the Small Farms Area, or even in maintaining one ground of this kind.

If the final decision of the Borough Council is to be that it will not take over the Memorial Park unless it can extract a larger monetary contribution from the Trust Lands Trust, the Trust will hardly incur any serious reproach if it decides to do nothing further in the matter. Ultimate responsibility in deciding what is to be done or not done with the Memorial Park does not rest upon the Trust and does rest upon the Borough Council. The root question to be determined is whether the Memorial Park is or is not a present or potential communitv asset in the Borough of Masterton. If it is an asset

it should be taken over and administered by the Borough ' Council. If, on the other hand, the council is of opinion that the Memorial Park is not now, and cannot be made within a reasonable time, a valuable community asset, its proper course is not to haggle with the Trust Lands Trust, but rather to take action towards having the land contained in the park devoted to some other use.

Presumably it will hardly be agreed that the Memorial Park should be scrapped in its present character and its land applied to commercial or residential purposes. If, however, the park is to be maintained as a recreation and sports area, the Borough Council cannot justly deny or evade its responsibility, c

While this central and commanding fact of the situation needs attention, some of the opinions which were expressed by members of the council in regard to the possible use and development of the park seem to be unduly pessimistic.. .One councillor said, for instance, that it had occurred to him that the grounds were only suitable for one branch of sport in season, namely football in winter and cricket in summer. In fact, however, there are considerable areas in the Memorial Park which stand unused both in winter and in summer and there is no obvious reason why the ground should not provide facilities at least for several branches of sport in each season. It already has a, range of ten tennis courts.

Tn the administration of an area like the Memorial Park account of course should be taken of the development and changing popularity of different branches of sport. These, however, are matters of detail. The essential question to be determined by the Borough Council is whether the park is a community asset to be taken over, or a mere liability to be rejected. With that question the council should deal directly on its merits. It is not doing so in haggling with the Trust Lands Trust over the matter of a few hundred pounds one way or the other.