SPORTS GROUND MAINTENANCE

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25160, 16 April 1947, Page 6

SPORTS GROUND MAINTENANCE

“COST FAR EXCEEDS REVENUE” CITY COUNCIL FIGURES The cost of maintenance of sports grounds far exceeded the revenue received from such sports as football, hockey, cricket, bowls croquet, and tennis, said the chairman of the Christchurch City Council’s reserves committee J. N. Clarke) yesterday, when he replied to objections by sports clubs to increased charges for playing fields. Cr. Clarke made available information prepared for the committee by the Director of Reserves (Mr M. J. Barnett). The following examples of maintenance costs and revenue, sources were given: The annual cost of maintenance of Barrington Park was £430. The estimated revenue from all sports clubs on the new scale was £142 ss, of which football, hockey, and cricket would provide £B4. This would leave £287 15s to be made up out of rates. The annual cost of maintenance of St. James’ Park (Papanui) was £345. The estimated revenue from all sports clubs on the new scale was £67, of which £27 would come from football, hockey, and cricket. This would leave £278 to be provided from rates. The annual cost of maintenance of St. Albans Park was £440. The revenue from all sports on the new scale was £B3, of which £39 would come from football, hockey, and cricket. This would leave £357 to be provided from rates. Increases in Costs The report outlined how costs had increased since 1908. The cost of equipment and material had increased at a phenomenal rate, in some instances as much as 300 per cent. Wages had risen from £2 10s for 48 hours to £6 9s 3d for 40 hours, less 20 minutes a day for smoko. There was now no loss of wages through wet weather, oilskins and overalls were provided, there were extra payments for wet places, dirt money, and so on, overtime rates had increased, holidays had increased, and there was provision for travelling time. In the same period the charge for hockey grounds had been unchanged, except for the special discounts during the war years, and an increase of only £1 a ground had been made for football between 1909 and 1914. Since 1928 the City Council had provided conveniences and dressing sheds in every park, carried out extensive drainage, installed high pressure water supply, and spent large sums on improving the surface of most playing fields. Excluding three parks recently added by amalgamations, the council had made available for sports 13 parks, providing at least 30 olaying fields. Most of them were bought by the council and all were developed without any assistance from the sports bodies concerned. The general standard of maintenance was much higher than 30 years ago. The report said the claim that increases in charges would place a burden on youths could not be substantiated to any degree, because the pay received by most youths was infinitely better than 25 or 35 years ago, when the average wage for young apprentices was from 5s to 10s a week. Competition for Players “Also, the fact cannot be concealed that the competition for players among the various sports codes has induced certain codes and clubs to offer enticements such as free membership and jerseys to young players,”? the report added. “There can be no question that these inducements do make a drain on the financial resources of the clubs concerned, but if they are in the best interests of the character and moral fibre of youth is another question.’’ The report said that the council had endeavoured to assist and encourage all forms of outdoor recreation. It was not improbable that within a few years, or perhaps months, the work of preDaring sports grounds on Saturday mornings would have to be paid for at overtime rates.

Asked by a reporter yesterday about the maintenance work done on sports grounds Mr Barnett said grounds required regular mowing, aerating, topdressing, rolling, resowing of bare patches, and so on. At the end of each winter, football and hockey grounds had to be prepared for cricket. On association football and hockey grounds, this work included the levelling and resowing of goal areas. Some clubs had used weed killer for marking lines and these had to be returfed. In Hagley Park hay had been grown; but the revenue from this came nowhere near the cost of cutting and removal. To put the old polo ground in order, the council had first to cut the hay, then cut the grass .with a closer mower, tine harrow it. chain harrow it, roll it. and top-dress it with sand.