DEVELOPING ESTUARY

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30602, 19 November 1964, Page 13

DEVELOPING ESTUARY

Use As Water

Sports

The estuary should be declared a recreation area by the City Council so that rate money could be used to develop ithe area for water sports, said Mr G. S. Mander at a meeting of the Canterbury Yachting Association. The chairman (Mr W. H. Beanland) said that the estuary was under the control of the Marine Department but the Drainage Board and the City Council also had claims on the area. “It seems to me that the City Council uses McCormack’s Bay as a dumping ground; the Drainage Board also uses it as a dump and the Marine Department waves the big stick and does nothing,” said Mr Mander. Mr Beanland explained that the City Council had no rights to the estuary although it was empowered to reclaim part of McCormack’s Bay.

“I am not interested in rights; I am interested in obligations,” said Mr Mander. “Why can’t some of my hard-earned rate money be spent on the estuary rather than in providing golf

courses—l see the council is going to spend £50,000 on a golf course—and on parks. Surely the yachtsman also is entitled to something.” A suggestion from the National Water Safety Council that Canterbury should adopt an Auckland move that membership of a yacht club should be dependent on a member being able to swim 50 yards was not supported Instead, it was decided to recommend the suggestion to clubs.