City Council Allocates Milk Shares Money

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29824, 17 May 1962, Page 12

City Council Allocates Milk Shares Money

A sum of £83300 was allocated to five projects by the City Council last evening.

The money is part of the £102,000 received by the council for the sale of its shares in the Christchurch Milk Company, Ltd. The balance of £18,700 will be invested to provide a return of £lOOO a year, which is equivalent to the income received in dividends from the shares.

The allocation was: English Park reconstruction, £30,000; town hall fund, £25,000; Cathedral square improvements, £20,000; life tenancy cottages scheme, £5000; children’s libraries, £3300.

Cr. G. D. Griffiths, who said English Park would never be made a good park, proposed an amendment that the item for English Park should be deleted and the £30.000 be devoted to the provision of a covered swimming pool. When the old tepid baths were in use there was yearround swimming and the baths were solidly supported. Cr. Griffiths said. Now. the Centennial Pool was closed until October. There was space on the Oxford terrace frontage of the Centennial Pool property for a 25-metre c-vered pool which would be of great assistance to swimmers and life-savers for winter training. he said. “It is up to the council to build a facility which was begun in 1940.” “I have never been happy about spending any money

on English Park.” he said. “We will spend £30.000 and still not have a park. Why sink more money down the drain?”

He was supported by Crs. J. R. Smith and A. S. Hollander There had been a tremendous outcry when an international soccer team was not allowed to play on Lancaster Park, said Cr. G. A. G. Connal. At that time, the council resolved to do what it could to help Association football at English Park “Swimming is very well catered for.” Cr Connal said. “While we are sympathetic to swimming we cannot meet all demands, and this is a fair allocation of the money.” said Cr. G. D Hattaway. There must be some improvements to English Park, or it would have to be abandoned, said Cr. R. M. Macfarlane. M.P.

No more employees would be needed if the covered pool was built, as they were all retained in the winter, and the new pool would earn revenue, said Cr. R. G. Brown, chairman of the baths committee.

The council had saved English Park for the sports that used U, but the park was now no credit to it, said the Mayor (Mr G. Manning). "A modest sum of £30,000 spent cn the park would do the council credit,” he said. The Mayor and several councillors said the council was now raising a loan of £168.000 for the Centennial Pool completion, in addition to what it had already spent.

The amendment was lost by 11 votes to five.