BOWLING.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 143, 23 July 1914, Page 3

BOWLING.

TOOPOSED CLUB AT LYTTEiTON,

At the present time there is no such thing as a bowling ..green or a bowling club at Lyttelton, but a movement is developing -in the Port -which it is claimed by its promoters if it reaches fruition will supply a long felt want, and at the same time provide a beauty spot in the middle of-the town. For some days a petition- has been circulated -among the . residents that the borough council-should grant the lease of a municipal reserye in Oxford Street for the purpose of converting it into a bowling green.

. Last evening a meeting, convened by Mr J. T. Norton, who has taken a -keen interest in the movement, was held in the, Excelsior Hall to diseuss the pros and cons of the proposal. There were about 20 gentlemen present, I over' whom Mr Norton presided, and several apologies for absence were received. •

In outlining the object of the meeting, Mr; Norton sai(r\they would .all agree' as to the-desirability of establishing a good pleasure ground in ' Lyt; telton, which, at the present time, Vas almost deyoidof such-an asset. .There was a .piece of ground in Oxford Street belonging to the Council which it was thought would make a very suitable place for a green.'''Several. 'times' the Council had .discussed- the question of improving the area, which just now ma# an eyesore to the .town, and he himself had made suggestions that the old buildings a.t present on the site should be "'pufletl' down and a public reserve formed. -The inatter had'been referred to the Estates Committee, but in the meantime It had occurred to him that the area might very well be converted into a bowling green. As a result a petition had -been circulated,- which bore over sixty signatures, that the Council should lease the reserve for a bowling green.

Mr Norton; who had evidently gone very fully into the matter, then submitted estimates of what the green would be likely to cost. The whole scheme, he -claimed, including preparing and making the green, fencing, pavilion, asphalting, and the construction of four walls would not exceed £3OO, probably less. The annual expenditure after this, inclusive of rent, upkeep, water rates, and interest and slinking fund for five years, would be £l3l, and he estimated the annual receipts on a low basis from subscriptions, reckoning on 60 members at £2 5/- at £133, or if a bigger margin were required the subscription could be increased to £2 10/-. The preparing and making of the green itself, including the obtaining of good black soil outside of Lyttelton, would not run to more than £lO5. He thought, howover, that the Council might be willing to give some assistance in the matter. They might even consider the matter of converting the seetion into a bowling green and leasing it to the proposed club. The cost of the ornamental wall in Oxford Street would be a big item; but he -thought that if the Council undertook to build it, seeing that it -was Council property, the price of the stone would be taken off, leaving a much smaller cost. At the present time the Council was drawing £35 a year hi rent, but two years ago a resolution had been passed that the present buildings should be demolished. It was certainly true that they had received two good offers for lease which had been turned down, and money had been lost in consequence. He claimed that Tf the project could be accomplished a peppercorn rental should be charged, though he allowed £4O as annual rental in his estimates. At present the Council had nothing in view for the ground, which was a disgrace to the place. By converting it into a green and planting ornamental scrubs, it couty easily be made an adornment instead of an. eyesore. An animated discussion followed, in which those present disc-HSsed the proposition very freely. Mr K. R. Curtis asked if all the 62 residents who had signed the petition would become members of the club.

Mr Norton replied that he felt sure that, with the exception of perhaps three, they all would. Rev. A. Mitchell said that they should have something definite to lay before the Council.

Rev. Mr Bates suggested that another site might be found. Mr Curtis also remarked that it would be necessary to obtain guarantors on whom they could rely, and thus satisfy the Council iu that direction.

Eventually, on the motiou of Mr Curtis, it was resolved to adjourn the meeting till Tuesday next, and that in the meantime a sub-committee consisting of Messrs W. H. Browne, W. Brown, ,T. T. Norton, E. Henderson, and 0. Agar be appointed to draw up definite proposals for submission at that meeting. It was also decided to circularise those who had .signed the petition to ensure their support.

It is estimated that during the year 191 a the Union of South Africa produced approximately 11,000,0001b of tobacco, of which 6,000,000!b were grown in the Magaliesberg district of the Transvaal. An experimental station for Turkish tobacco is being started at the Government Agricultural College at Elsenburg, in the Cape Province. About 525 acres of this variety of tobacco were planted in the neighbourhood of Stellenbosch and Paarl, during the year, the yield from which was expected to be about 210,00011*.