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Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 112, 5 February 1935, Page 11

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Wellington Centre Request

COMMITTEE APPROACHED

“I have been coming here for ihe last 30 years trying to get fair treatin ent for amateur athletes iu Wellington,” said Mr. A C. Kitto, president or the Wellington Amateur Athletic Centre, to the City Council Reserves Committee, yesterday afternoon when, with Mr. A. C. Willis, secretary of the centre, he waited on the committee. The complaints made were that the town clerk had objected to children s races being held at present on the Basin Reserve, and that athletic fixtures there had had to be curtailed. Mr. Kitto asked that the ground being made at Hataitai should be allocated as a permanent borne for Wellington athletics. “Amateur athletics are doing good work here, and we expect the City Council to take its part in bringing on the youth of the city,” Mr. Kitto sate. Recently, he continued, the centre had received A letter from tho town clerk, Mr. E P. Norman. It asked that the children’s races should be cut out in [he Basin Reserve, stating that they were only turning the children of the district on to the grass track, which was a danger to the turf. The centre also was asked to keep all spectators off the green. “Don’t Like Pin-Pricking.”

“We have never had trouble in this way before,” Mr. Kitto continued “Children have always been under proper control. What we don’t like is what we call this slight pin-pricking Another complaint of ours is that we have been running evening meetings on the Basin Reserve for a great number of years. Up to December 17 last our application for weekly evening meetings had been granted, but then we received a letter to the effect that on account of the state of the ground we could only have every other Monday in future. I myself can’t see that it makes any difference whatever to the ground, and I. think cricket practices cause considerably more damage. ’Be cause of that letter we haVe had to curtail the programme which we had made up “Councillors should pay attention to the necessity of providing some ground for Wellington athletes in their regular club fixtures. Every new ground you get you pass over to some other sport. I am speaking of fixtures for which we do not charge gate money; when we wish to charge we come to the Basin Reserve. We suggest that you should consider our request concerning the Hataitai ground when it is finished. Cricket and tennis associations are well catered for to-day. We are asking also for each Monday for evening meetings' on the Basin Re“Better Control Needed.” Cr. L. McKenzie remarked that the council would have to provide pavilion accommodation for the athletes on the new ground. Mr. Kitto replied that in that respect the centre might be able to help. Cr. McKenzie pointed out that recently a window was broken in one<of the council’s pavilions, and the decision of the magistrate had been that the responsibility was the council’s: "One of the great difficulties in 'Wellington athletic meetings is the lack of supervision by club officials to prevent the danger of onlookers being hurt when field sports are being held,” he continued. “We will certainly give your request further consideration,” said the chairman of the committee-, Cr. J. Burns. “You must remember, however, that if the director of parks and reserves thinks a ground is getting in a bad state, he is quite justified in reducing the days on which athletic meetings and practices are allowed. We have also a certain responsibility to cricketers, who are our main .revenue producing source in the summer time. This summer they have been harassed a little Owing to the force of circumstances, and naturally they look to the committee to do the best it can to protect their grounds.” Cr. Burns continued that part of the Hataitai ground had already been allocated to the basketball and tennis organisations, and another part had been laid down for football. Whether it was possible to make a home lor athletics there was not yet known. Cr. McKenzie suggested that before next summer’s, sports grounds were allocated the committee should hold a conference with all the bodies, come to a definite understanding, and bring down a programme that would not be altered during the season.