STRONG PROTEST

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 284, 30 November 1944, Page 6

STRONG PROTEST

"AUTOCRATIC ACTION"

CORNWALL PARK PROPOSAL

Strong protest was made at a meeting of the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce this morning against the reported decision of the Government to take without the agreement of the trustees approximately 75 acres of Cornwall Park for a period of 15 years for hospital purposes. In a resolution embodying this protest the council urged that no action be taken by the Government in connection with the proposal without prior agreement with the trustees and all local bodies interested. It was decided to forward the resolution by telegram to the Prime Minister. "There is a principle at stake in connection with this matter, said the president, Mr. F. G. Baskett. "Public parks have always been regarded as sacrosanct and not to be used for any other purpose excepting under extreme conditions. Certain public parks have been used for war purposes, including Cornwall Park. Valuable buildings have been erected there, and no one would disagree with the principle that some value should be obtained from that considerable outlay of money. "At the same time, the way the Government has acted in a bureaucratic manner in notifying the trustees of their decision, without negotiating with them and public bodies, runs counter to the principles of democracy," continued the president. It appeared to be an autocratic action which should not be tolerated, and he hoped that wiser counsels would prevail in Wellington to the end that the agreement of interested ! parties might first be obtained before the grounds were alienated from public use for any lengthy period after the cessation of hostilities. In seconding the motion, Mr. H. J. Lichtenstein said the Government's action was a further symptom of the evils the Government was trying to force on the public. This move could be compared to the proposal regarding the taking over of the Bank of New Zealand.

"The continued encroachment on public reserves must be stopped," said Mr. L. A. Eady. "The process has been in being over a period of years, and now seems to be reaching a grand climax." Wartime needs were appreciated, and citizens had shown their willingness,to make sacrifices. in time of war, but this proposal was a different matter.