TWO YEARS' WORK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 238, 7 October 1932, Page 8

TWO YEARS' WORK.

NEWMARKET SCHOOL GROUND A REMARKABLE CHANGE. "MOUNTAIN" BLASTED AWAY. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and the thousands of boys and girls who are likely to attend the Newmarket public school in the years that are to come should benefit from the extensive ground improvement scheme that has been in progress since the beginning of last year. Before the long job was commenced, the children had no playground worthy of the name; today ,the foundations are laid for one of "the finest school recreation areas in Auckland. Situated near the Khyber Pass end of Gillies Avenue, the school boasts an elevated site that has the appearance of being splendidly healthy. When the school was built there was no money available to lay out the grounds. The area separating the main school from the infant department, which was built before the old Newmarket school was destroyed by fire, was rough and broken and in no way suitable for a playing area. A large portion of the property, that nearest Khyber .Pass, comprised an old quarry, a rubbish pit that was a home for hundreds of rats, and a hill of stone that the pupils always referred to as "the mountain." Altogether, the place was as much unlike a children's playground as was possible to imagine. Done as Relief Work. For some time the local school committee had been wondering how they could make a playground out of the poor material at hand, and the announcement of the No. 5 scheme gave them their opportunity. It was not then known how long the scheme would remain in operation, but the committee dccided to make a start with levelling rhe lower portion of the ground. This involved the removal of "the mountain," and as this was made of hard bluestone, the proposition was a big one. Many hundreds of tons of rock had to be i blasted out and removed to other parts

of the ground, and at times residents of the neighbourhood must have thought the area was under a bombardment. But slowly "the mountain" was reduced, and slowly the ground began to take up a rough resemblance to a playing area. Work was begun in other parts of the school property, and a stone wall was built along three sides. On the Gillies Avenue frontage an attractive rockery, with gently-graded approaches, was constructed. Another job that was done was the levelling of the ground between the infant and main schools. "Stone blasted from "the mountain" was utilised for transforming the site of the old rubbish pit into a series of five terraces, which, when completed, will extend the full depth of the property. It is hoped that the work will be completed early in the New Year. The appearance of .the terraces to-day gives a suggestion of an old-time fortress, and the visitor forms the opinion that they will be in existence as long as there is such a place as Auckland. A Natural Grandstand.' At the foot of the terraces is what will soon be ,an excellent' recreation area. It is likely that this portion of the grounds will be chiefly, used by the boys for the playing of football and cricket. Already the greater portion has been levelled, and a hillock of good soil is ready to be used for topdressing. The terraces, attractively faced in the bluestone blasted from what is now the field, provide a first-class grandstand. "The wages of the men have been paid by the Unemployment Board, but the other expenses have been a charge on the school committee, and we are now faced with the difficulty of having to find the sum of £400," said Mr. W. J. Cross, deputy-chairman of the committee, who has played a big part in the success of the scheme. With the co-operation of Mr. T. J. Watts, chairman of the committee, Mr. Cross was responsible for the lay-out of the job, and every day for the last 18 months he has spent several hours of his time at the school. Speaking of the difficulties of raising funds, he said this morning that the committee had sought, the permission of the Government to conduct an art union, but the application had been refused, although the reason for the refusal was not apparent. The relief workers engaged on the jo'), said Mr. Cross, had done their bit well, and the committee had no complaints ito make.

Owing to lack of funds, the committee was unable to grass the levelled area on the upper part of the property, and on gusty days in the summer the dust is likely to become a, severe nuisance. Even yesterday afternoon the effect of the wind oil the light soil 'waa evident, clouds of brownish dust 1} nn.tj whirled into the air. Along the rocker' on the Gillies Avenue frontage the appearance is much brighter. Due t> the gardening efforts of the children, under the supervision of the headmaster, many pockets in the rockery are brignt with the flowers of spring.