PLAY ON SUNDAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 244, 15 October 1935, Page 8

PLAY ON SUNDAY.

ONEHUNGA CHILDREN. EQUIPMENT TO BE USED. ! BOROUGH COUNCIL DEBATE. . The Onehunga Borough Council decided last night, by six votes to two, to allow children the use of the playing equipment in Jellicoe Park and oil the beach reserves on Sundays. Mr. G. E. Haydon moved that this concession be granted, and Mr. M. C. H. Barnett seconded. The mover argued that the council should be c6nsistent. It allowed the tennis courts under the council's jurisdiction on the reserves to be open all day on Sundays. He had seen children playing on the streets on Sundays. They did not go to Sunday school, and. they would certainly be better in the parks. It might be as well, perhaps, to keep the playing equipment closed during church hours, say, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. He did not include that in his motion. Change of Viewpoint. Mr. A. A. Coates said he was originally opposed to the proposal, as he thought the churches were entitled to consideration. Upon reflection, however, he had changed his mind, seeing that the bathing sheds and tennis courts were open on Sundays, and the Citizens' Band gave open-air performances as well on that day. Mr. A. Garside objected to children playing in Jellicoe Park, where there were so many flower beds, and said it would be worse still the council erected glu -houses in the park, as they thought of doing. Messrs. P. C. Jamieson and F. Gilchrist supported the motion. The Mayor, Mr. J. Park, did not think it would be wrong to let the children play on Sunday, as proposed Neither did he think there was any danger to them. But he could not vote for the motion. He thought they should have more of the spirit of their forefathers in regard to Sunday observance. In Agreement with Mayor. Mr. S. Bishop agreed wit!, the Mayor and advanced the idea that the equipment should not be available to the children in the afternoon, when the Sunday schools were in session. He opposed the motion, as children could not look after themselves oil the beach reserves, while tennis p'.ayers could. Messrs. W. F. Cox and N. Ben fell were absent from the council meeting. Haydon said, in replying to the criticism, that he had no connection with the Rationalist Association and Sunday Freedom League, which had asked the council to receive a. deputation re the restriction upon the use of the children's play apparatus on .Sundays. ✓ The Mayor and Mr. Bishop voted against the motion.