ELMWOOD PARK.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14314, 27 March 1912, Page 5

ELMWOOD PARK.

ITS VALUE TO ST. ALBANS.

AN APPEAL TO THE RESIDENTS

In an interview yesterday morning, Mr F. "W. Johnston explained tho proposed schema for tho securing of tho Elmwood Estat-o for the- people of "Western St. Albans and.other*localities in the vicinity. The total cost, roughly, he said, •would be £8000. Tho park would largely benefit Fendalton people, but it was not clear whether they could rato themselves for a park outsklc their boundaries. If it were declared a public domain and representatives of tho Waimain County Council Mere made ex offieio members of the Domain Board, then the Waimairi County Council could contribute, but the contribution would bo purely a voluntary ono on their part. Tho park, Mr Johnston said, was a large undertaking as things were at present situated, but there was no doubt that in the future, with tho rise in values and the increasing population, tho payments would become a mere bagatelle, spread, as they would be, over a number of years. What at present was required was a little sckfsacrifice on the part of tho residents, both as individuals and as ratepayers; as individuals by subscriptions, so that they could with justice ask the Government and the City Council for substantial grants- "One must recognise," said Mr Johnston, "that without substantial grants from tho Government and tho Council the scheme must fall to tho ground As ratepayers, tho people of St. Albans must take a broad view if they want a park convenient and easily accessible to them, and not hang simply because others outsido the Si. Albans ward may beneiit to a considerable extent. ;; "Then again wo ought to havo tho support of tlio ratepayers in tho eastern part of St. Albans. because their park has cost them nothing, and very shortly the residents of Eastern St. Albans will find their park far too small, and they will bo looking for cricket and other sports grounds sufficiently large enough for the increasing population." ■ , So far as tho upkeep was concerned, Mr Jollnston thought tho City Council should maintain it, charging tho various sports IkhKcs that used it, annual fees. Ho considered this was tho last opportunity there would be of obtaining a suitablo ground, and even at the cost they should do their utmost to secure the land, as the benefits to the health of the rising jjeneiration to be derived from tho park were incalculable. There was a school in close proximity to tho site, and Mr Johnston considered that anyono who had a family, or intended to settle down and mako a homo for himself, should assist tho movemeut. •Mr A. S. Taylor, ono of tho representatives of St. Albans on tho City Council, stated yesterday that if :\ special rating area was defined in order to raise a loan, the boundaries might bo made to run from Papanui road south along .Xorraan's road, down Brown's i?oad and Rossall etreet, up Merivale Lane, along the north-eastern side of Papamii road to Holly road, north along Springfield road, from there along Rutland street, and down Maya's road to Pnpanui road opposite Norman's road again. If a loan of £4000 was raised at 4$ nor cent., including interest and sinking fund, spread over 30 years, it would bo necessary to provide £252 a year, and a .rata of id in the & on that special area would produce , £288, leaving a 'margin of about £30 a year. On a section valued at £200, unimproved value, the rate required would be only about 4s <vyear. The average value of tho sections was less than that, and th« average, annual payment by ratepayers, therefore, would bo less than 4s. If the payment of tho loan was spread- over the whole of tho fat. Albans ward, a rate of seven-sixty-fourths of a, penny would, bo sufficient, and that would be a very small sum compared witlv the advantage of obtaining a public park for the city.