THE ONEHUNGA CEMETERY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 197, 19 August 1913, Page 2

THE ONEHUNGA CEMETERY.

ISS2£A2TI> lOE EXTENSION CONSIDERED BY TilE COUNCIL. The oneh.un.cn Borougii L'ouncil will shoi-tly b.ave to face the question of aciug ground lor a new cemetery. The r.rcse;,i barial -round »[ Waikaraka, held in trust In- the Onehunga Borough tJoiim-il for the Cou.-in- ~1 (-Jden, is rapidly lilling up and wiil soon have lo lie closed. Some years ago the Alaror (Mr •John RoweJ, when lie was a couueillor. f-trnnpl.v advocated the purchase of about 40 aires of land at the Bluff in the Alt, Koskill di.,tri,-' bill quite near to Onehunga. T'-r- (iroposal was considered then to be I'i-iiiuture. and was allowed to drop. Now. when hind ' i.s badly wanted, for a new eemutery. the i|t. £luf»kill I'.oatl Board refuses to allow any of theirs to be used for that purpose", .is also does the One-tree lliil Road Board. A (Xirtion of the .Mangere Cemetery is available for Occjiunga. having been granted to the Borough by the (ioveniment some years ago. but this is considered too distant, and :'. rather serious objection is raised owiug to the fact that J'unorals from Onehunga would have to go across the Alangpro bridge The alternative appears to lie to enlarge tbe prosout cemetery at Waikaraka by taking in acres adjoining, now used as n recreation ri'smc To supply another recreation ground it. j* suggested .that the Council might utilise tbe 73 acres of foreshore granted to Onehunga about a year ago. This ■ valuable property reaches from the present cemetery at Waikaraka nearly to the bridge. Very little filling in would bo required, and if the. present surplus of £4.000 derived from the sale of burial plots in the Waikaraka Cemetery could he made available for that purpose, together with t!:e increasott revenue that would accrue from the enlarged cemetery by taking in the present reserve adjoining, it is estimated that not loss than f 10.000 would be forthcoming within n. reasonable period. Such a sum of money would tooto than pay the cost of rnaidng the rpresent mud flat alone; the .Manukau Harbour into n be.iittifal and spacious recreation reserve for all time. The question has not yet reached the acute staffo. hut it soon will do. The JVlayor (Mr John Eowoi submitted the question to the Onehunga Borough Council last night by moving the following resolution, viz:—"That in view of the rapid fUling of the Waikaraka Ceme-.tery.J-he Couucil consider the best ways and means of enlarging the present cemetery or purchasing a new ono.'' Coriiicillor Oavis seconded the motion, and expressed, his strong disapproval of including the recreation reserve in the present cemetery. The motion was sdoptcd.