SAVE THE PARK

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 30, 4 August 1917, Page 6

SAVE THE PARK

While 1500 members of the Wellington Bugby Union are "playing the game" in France and Egypt, as cheerfully as ever fhey did on the football field, the xmion itself is grappling with financial difficulties in an endeavour io save the Athletic Park, the scene-of many memor-able-sports- contests. Before the war the. union, took up.a.new lease-'of ibe Park,! requiring wife maintenance, rates, and other charges the provision of £600 a? .year.. In ordinary times the revenue" from'tile Park alone would have sufficed to meet this expenditure; butßugby, in common with all other sports, ha& suffered?by the war. Of this the supporters of the game do not-complain, rather they deem it a cause for congratulation that the young men who' upheld New Zealand's name in the football field should be equally eager to represent the Dominion well •in a more arduous struggle. That they have displayed.prowess as-.sol-diers equal "to the fame they, gained in, athletics will be readily admitted, nor will it be denied that-their, fformer athletic training helped them to play the soldiers' part; the endurance" whidr.many learnt to display in strenuous game&«has been exemplified again in the -severer •test when they have stormed the enemy ; trenches. The foundation of the discip:Ene which' won the ridge of Messines -was 4in many cases. laid by the captain «of .a* footballs : fifteen. The record is one for pride, and it most certainly, entitles the Rugby Union-to ask the public for •funds to save the.; Park. Had the.players ■not doffed the jersey for i the uniform ithere would have---been no ground forvfche ■ appeal; < but: it. is ■'because • they have realised their responsibilities so thor■oughly that'the-pubEc-is-now urged to show its gratitude. The organisations interested, aim at obtaining a sum of' .£3OOO, and this should '--be readily -forthcoming, since the-money'is not to be de- " voted to the-encouragement, of idle sport among eligible men, but to keeping intact the'facilities .which the principal ■'followers ofthe game are> unable themselves to preserve. There-are-other reasons on which this • appeal ■ may be supported, foremost among them •■''being the aim to preserve an open space in a closely-sot-tled quarter. The<; : ground is used by children in 'large-inmnbers, and the public schools and colleges have it for cricket, football, anttfesports meetings. Realising the value^of ■ the- ground for'these purposes, and'{knowing of what use it has been to tbtem in the past, representatives of cricket and other sports bodies .are.joining with the Rugby Union in advancing tlye latter's claim for support;. It now re/mains for the.public to give-its practical-help. The call is-in the public rinfce.res'f5 0 and the responaa should be«