PROHIBITIVE CHARGES

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 76, 27 September 1927, Page 6

PROHIBITIVE CHARGES

Mi ATHLETIC GRIEVANCE:

I USE: OF PARKS' FOB TRAINING

More satisfactory^ assistance from the City\Council in conneetiorrwith; the use. of the city reserves for training purpose* was urged by several speakers at the annual meeting of the -Wellington Amateur Athletic Club last evening. Compliant was mado that the '■ council, despite frequent representations,, had no,t fciven the athletes, satisfaction, , Mr, E. G. Guy,-who".brought, the mat-, ter up, said that the Wellington Afhletio^ Centre paid something like £800 to the City Council last year, and yet the amount the council asked for training ;ori the Basin Reserve was absolutely prohibitive. Cricketers, lie thought, used the Basin Reserve five nigKts.a week, and the custodian was required to erect mejs. He could not; sec •why. one sport'should get all tlie hearing -at the expense of another. The athletes had received .good treatment

from, the Rugby, Union, but tho City - Council required'each^club to pay - a minimum of .£,lO to allow its'members to train on tho Basin Eeserve. No clubj could pay, that "amount. He suggested ' ( that the' City Council .charge athletes 2s 6d per season for a, permit to train on all city reserves. After all, the garks were for the public, and athletes^ had just as much right to use them; as cricketers. .Complaints had been^made that athletes dW damage to the ;tu>f, but 'he contended that far more" damage was done" by the cricketera. ■',"! think we should put the whole matter before the City Council again,", added Mr. Guy. "We want as fair a deal;'as the Cricket Association is get-' ,ting.-" In,' supporting Mr. Guy, Mr. F. di* Malnianche said that amateur athletics •waOa more truly international feport than;cricket would ever be. "Although, our/numbers are not'very great, "he addeß,'"we should at least make ourselves .heard." ' ' Th.c chairman' (Mr. A. C. Kitto) said that-'the question of the use of grounds ...for training purposes had been brought up year after year. He had several . times been one of a deputation to the Reserves Committee asking that a fair deal^be given athletes as- far as training on the Basin Beserve was concerned. ']Ori every occasion they had had a sympathetic hearing, but unfortunately nothing had been done. The City; Council had obtained as much revenue from amateur athletics as practically > they had from cricket. "I do not .blame the cricketers," said Mr. Kitto. "It must be that our body is too fllow, to obtain a fair deal. .'. . . These young fellows who want to train are boys of the city, and surely it is the duty of the council to provide the boys 'with the grounds. We" don't get anything out* of -the sports meetings." The electric i light gatherings' are just as much benefit to the City Council as they are to us, and surely they should help us." * Ou v 'the motion of Mr. Guy it was decided that two representatives from each]*club wait as a deputation on the City; Council "to endeavour to^'obtain something definite about tho matter. Messrs. Kitto .and Guy were appointed to represent the. Wellington Club.