CHARGES IN THE DOMAIN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 67, Issue 116, 26 February 1947, Page 6

CHARGES IN THE DOMAIN

- -JWhile Jto recommendation was made to the Borough Council, itwas.,intimated that the Council would be asked to allow fees for the present financial year ending on March 31, to remain as in the past, that is, at £2OO, in view of sporting bodies having already collected subscriptions on .the assumption of having to meet the same charges as previously.

; r>i . Besides 13 , representatives from the Sports’ Association, headed by its president (Mr S. Mitchell), the conference was attended by the Mayor (Mr E. C. Bathurst), -Cr. H. G. Ferrier (chairman of the Domain Board) and other members of, the board, Crs. S. W. Gower, F. A. Coldicott, J. R. Richardson, K. D. Mcilraith and A. A. McDonald, and the Curator of the Domain (Mr A. F. Morgan).

The statement of maintenance and rental of sports.areas in the Domain 'submitted ..to the meeting by the Domain Board showed: (1) The actual maintenance cost; (2) present maintenance charges; and (3) present rental. They are as follow: Ashburton Croquet Club, £56 7s 4d, £2O, £5: Waireka. Croquet Club, £7O 10s, £2O, £5; Ashburton Tennis Club, £62 2s, £39, £7; Te Marae Tennis Club, £53 4j3, £2B, £5; Cricket Oval, £sov2s 2d y £lO, £5; Technical Cricket Club, £l6 0s gd,. £3, £.2; er, 'Rudkin Cricket Club, £8 13s 4d. £5- £2;R.S.A. Club, £8 13s 4d, —, £2; Basketball Association, £7 7s-6d,—£B; Men’s Hockey,*.£3, •-£, £3; Women’s Hockey, £3, £3; Rugby Union, —, r-r, '£2o; : Ama ; teur Athletic Club, —, —, £3; ' Ashbutton Bowling- Club,, —.—,. £ST. totals, £339 0s 4d, £125,:£75.- - The desire of the Domain Board was to do all it could be footer sport in the Domain, said the Mayor. That was a heritage that had been passed down to the board, and it Avas their responsibility to administer it on behalf.of ratepayers and residents. Obviously, he pointed outfa charge must be made on bodies using the Domain for maintenance carried out fn those areas, and also a certain amount fixed for rental. ‘

Mr Bathurst introduced to the conference the new curator (Mr Morgan).

Problems Could Be Ironed Out

- Cr. Ferrier considered that the differences of opinion between the two bodies could be ironed out amicably. He did not believe, looking round the delegates, that they would contribute to an alleged statement of the Sports’ Association that they would not be responsible for the collection of fees over and abo\*e the present allocation. The council would not like to point a pistol .at anyone, he. said, for they realised 'the-good work that the association was doing, and they Avould not like to have to negotiate with sports bodies individually.

Cr. Ferrier appealed to the delegates to be reasonable in their' approach,to the problem, and to refrain from 1 hard words that had sometimes been used in the past.

Referring to another alleged statement that the only members of the Domain Board interested in sport were members of the Golf Club, Cr. Ferrier commented that the Golf Club was a body that could stand on its own feet. Last year £6BO had been spent other than in the purchase of equipment. - “You are objecting to the increased charges? 5 ’inquired-the Mayor, in asking the president of the Association to state liia case.

Leave Things As They Are

“As far as rentals are concerned they are out of all reason, and are much two drastic —a 50 per cent increase is too much,” replied Mr Mitchell. “If a 50 per cent, increase is levied on the croquet clubs, they are going ,to lose membership.”

Should Be Left This Year “We think that this year the allocations should be left as they are,” continued Mr Mitchell. Rentals should be stabilised, he contended. “We do not want to interfere with rentals,” said the Mayor.

Speaking of the Ashburton Bowling Club, Mr Mitchell said the greens had been made by the members themselves at a cost of £6OO. “We do the maintenance ourselves, and it costs us £l5O a year, and is likely to cost 100 per cent, more in the future.” - •

The remark about the Association refusing to collect fees over a certain figure was inaccurate, he assured the meeting. Mr Mitchell said he-was’sorry that the board had not accepted, tlie association’s assessment of charges for the year. The clubs could not afford to meet extra costs this year without raising subscriptions, he added. “When I was first appointed to the Sports’ ’ Association I was impressed with the difficulty of assessing rentals,” said Mr A. C. Robinson. “If rentals are not at issue, however, then as representative of the Rugby Union, I have* little interest in the proceedings; as we pay rental only and do all the maintenance work ourselves.” “The council derived no pleasure from increasing the charges,” said Cr. Ferrier. The Domain Board always seemed hard up, for costs were rising year by year, so that they had had to iook for some further revenue. The council could let the ratepayers meet the whole burden of the increase, without asking the association for an extra £IOO, but the council had a duty to strike a balance between what sports’ bodies and ratepayers should pay. In the spring when the reserves in the town had been getting untidy, and it was suggested that extra men should be employed to tidy the place up, it could not be done because there was no money available in the domain funds, said Cr. Ferrier, stressing the dearth of funds brought about by increased costs.

’.He could see the association was getting tangled up between maintenance and rqntal costs, but what the council was interested in was getting £BOO, emphasised Cr. Ferrier.

Standard rental and maintenance fees of the Domains and Reserves Association were quoted by

CONFERENCE FAILS TO REACH FINALITY Further Discussions Planned The oulcome of a conference last, evening between delegates from --the Ashburton. Sports’ Association and . the . Domain Board on . the proposed increase of rental - and maintenance charges levied on sports bodies, using the Domain, from: £2OO to £3OO, was a. recommendation to the two bodies that four representatives of each confer to frame fresh recommendations.

Cr. Ferrier. These shoAved fees considerably higher than those existing in Ashburton, and drew strong protest from the delegation.

They showed rental of a tennis court at £2, ,a croquet green £2, bowling green £lO, hockey ground £lO 10s, Rugby ground £ 10, cricket ground £ 5 with £ls for maintenance, and £2O in the case of a senior field. In MaTiterton, he said,- tennis Avas paying a rental of 25s a.senior member. Mr R. H. Biggar asked if these rentals- Avere for closed grounds. Cr. Ferrier: said he could not give an ans Aver. -Mr Mitchell instanced a bowling club in Masterton and at Invercargill which Avere paying a similar rental to Ashburton, £5, and a Timaru club which Avas paying £2 a green.

v The council has to decide whether, rental and maintenance are each being increased, said Mr Robinson. He said he would strongly- resist any changes in rental though there might be a case in respect of maintenance.

“Is it seriously suggested that if cricket were not played on the Oval, and other sports on other grounds, the grass would not be cut and the place let go to the pack?” asked the speaker. Whether sporty bodies had to foot the total cost of maintenance of the grounds they occupied or . only that above what would be incurred if the ground were not occupied by a club, Avas asked by Mr S. G. Macfarlane. Mr Macfarlane produced figures showing that the Christchurch Basketball Association paid £24 for 35 courts, Avhile in Ashbux*ton £ 1 a court was paid “for the privilege of living in a small town.”

On the figures before the meeting the whole cost of keeping the Oval cut was charged against cricket, said Mr Biggar. Was anyone going to suggest that only cricket got benefit from the- Oval. Would you suggest that if cricket fades out, as it will if these new charges are levied, the Oval would be allowed to revert to a hayfield? he asked.

Leave rentals and maintenance as they are this year and'let the association assess new charges next year, suggested Mr Robinson. In the meantime the curator and Domain Board could prepare new figures of maintenance costs, which, he had no doubt, the association would give most favourable consideration.

As these figures had been prepared by a person not now in the employ of the council, the board was at a disadvantage, said Mr T. L. Crooks. The new curator should be given an opportunity of bringing down fresh figures. Some sports. bodies had a grudge, he continued. Work that, at the beginning of the season had been quite honestly t promised them, and they expected to be done on their areas, had not been carried out. . Mr Bathurst admitted the disadvantage referred to. In his experience, however, these figures were inclined to be on the low side. He, personally, was not averse to considering the matter again next year, however. Fees of 20 years ago were produc-

ed by Cr. S. W. Gower and compared with present day rates. In 1926-27 the Ashburton Tennis Club paid £37 10s, now £46; Te Marae Club in 1926-27/ £37 10s; now £33; Ashburton Croquet Club, £23, now £25; Ashburton Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club, £3 3s, now £3. In 1926-27 the average weekly wage was £4 4s for 44 hours, Now it was £5 17s for a 40-hour week, or £6 11s for 44 hours.

Referring to the Ashburton Bowling Club Ci\ Gower said: “You expect maintenance charges to increase 100 per cent, in the future. The same applies to the Domain Board.”

There were sporting bodies on the outskirts of the town that were getting nothing from the council. .The Allenton Shorts’ Club was , paying £4OO a year. While these ratepayers were paying for their own sport it was only fair that an equitable charge be placed on those using the Domain. They would he loath to see sports bodies withdrawing from the Domain, he said. A way of overcoming. the difficuJTy would be to leave rentals intact and let sports bodies do their own maintenance and, in the case of croquet, if the club was prepared to do its own maintenance, a grant could be made.

There was no question of sports bodies seeking other grounds, intimated Mr A. Stanley. If rentals were left" and increases based on maintenance, then summer sports such as tennis, with high maintenance fees, would be forced out of existence, he said, appealing that both maintenance and rentals should be considered as one.

The refusal of the Sports’ Association to sponsor sports days iii the Domain at the instance of the Boroug council in aid of Domain funds was recalled by Cr. J. R. Richardson, who said that a good sum might have then been raised and made the proposed increase unnecessary. Mr G. V. Furby explained that at

the time no sports bodies were in a position to run closed days, though the association was in sympathy with the idea.

As the matter had gone so long the board could not expect sports bodies already in the middle of the season, to meet the extra costs. The matter could be deferred until March 31, the beginning of the new financial year, said Cr. Ferrier.

Cr. Gower moved that it be recommended to each body that three representatives of each confer with a view to making new recommendations. The number of representatives was later increased to four from each. Mr A. C. Vincent seconded the motion which was carried. Particular exception to the figures about the Oval in the information before the meeting was taken by Mr Biggar. He said they were not worth the paper they were printed on. “This meeting should never have been called,” said Cr. Coldicott. For the sake of a mere £IOO it seems rather a paltry thing.” To augment the association’s funds the combined spofiSsl bodies might run a big gala, said Cr. A. A. McDonald.

The appointment of a representative of the council on the association was mooted by Mr Mitchell who added: “For years and years you accepted our assessments. This is the first time you have not taken it.”