TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 1881.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3188, 16 September 1881, Page 2

TOWN EDITION. The Daily Telegraph FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 1881.

While a pnWfc company is being formed for the purpose of giving tbe people of Napier a recreation ground of a few acres in extent, the Meanee Domain Board is advertising the sale of the lease of ninety-two acres of land in the immediate vicinity of this town. The old race-course reserve is to be thus dealt with, and the lease of it for twelve years is to be sold at auction on October 3rd next. There ia no town in New Zealand that has been so abominably treated as N'-tpier has been in the matter of a public reserve. From its peculiar position and conformation a recreation ground or town belt was impossible when this town was laid off, and consequently, unHke every other centre of population, tbe people have nowhere to go but in the streets for exercise or amusement. It was not unnatural then that, when tbe Jockey Club threw up tbe lease of tbe Meanee reserve, an effort should have been made to secure it as a public park for tbe Corporation. We need not recapitulate the history of the means that were taken to frustrate tbat effort, nov tbe shameless manner in which our representatives treated the wishes of the people in this respect. Suffice it to say that, to all appearances, the reserve has been permanently alienated from the purposes of a public recreation ground. The conditions of the lease, if there be any doubt about it, will show that this is the case. These conditions set forth that the land shall be leased for agricultural and grazing purposes only for the space of twelve years; that the lessors (that is the Board) shall at all times have the right for themselves, their agents, or workmen, to enter upon the land for the'purpose of planting trees and erecting fencing, whether bouodary or subdivision as they may think fit, or of making other improvements upon the property. And then comes the ironical clause, that the lessors may permit any person or persons, association, or club, to make use of the uncultivated portion of theiground for the purposes of recreation, horseracing, &c, but it shall not be lawful for the lessee to give such permission under a penalty of having his tenancy terminated. The %vhole of the conditions appear to have been drafted for the purpose of keeping the land out of the hands of any association that might be formed having for its object the conversion of the land into a public park. The mischievous character of tbe Public Domains Act is exposed by the fact that a public estate can be dealt with by a small body of Government nominees. Let us look more closely into the conditions of this proposed lease. In the first place it will strike any one that, if a friend of the Board should become the lessee, the conditions of tenure will permit the Board to expend the rent in improving ihe value of the land to the tenant. The Board can subdivide the land into suitable sized paddocks; can plant trees so as not to interfere with the operations of the lessee, or they can leave all improvements alone. On the other hand, a tenant, not a iriend of the Board, can be interfered with in all directions; permission could be given to hold public sports on the ground; belts of trees could be planted in the centre of ploughed land destined for grain growing; subdivision fences refused ; or he might be got rid of by. giving him twelve months notice to quit, so that re-entry could be made just before his crops were ready for harvesting. Clause 12 says that "it shall be lawful for the lessors at any time during the said term to determine the lease by giving twelve calendar months' notice in writing without making any compensation to the lessee." We do not suppose that the Board would act in the way tbat the conditions of the lease would permit. The unfortunate Irish tenant does not suppose that his landlord will treat him as harshly as the terms of his tenure will allow. At all events with such conditions it is not likely the Meanee reserve will fetch any high rental. We trust, however, that before the sale of the lease comes off steps will betaken in the House to prevent this public estate from being dealt with in the manner now proposed.