AN OLD PROBLEM

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 135, 5 December 1933, Page 11

AN OLD PROBLEM

«. MIRAMAR COURTS DEBT TO CITY COUNCIL h FINALITY ASKED POR Some years ago tho City Council laic „ down in bituminous mix sixteen har( , courts at Miramar for the Wellingtoi Lawn Tennis Association. Tho cost o: the work was approximately £2300, ant ,• through difficult financial complication: ~ the association has been unable to inoe c the account. Recently tho associatioi 1 roceived from a part sharo in an ar; 7 union £1000, which it was suggested '' tho council should accept in full settle a ment of tho debt. Thero has been con .- siderablo difference of opinion among 0 members of the council as to accepting ° this proposal, but tho majority view 0 has been that the debt should not bo sc i, settled. Last night a further rcquosi r was made by a deputation from the as soeiation to the City Council, that the 1 outstanding amount should bo wipec " out. The question is to be still furthei j considered. t Mr. C. G. White referred first to the intention of tho council to lay dowr . six courts at'-tho Hataitai Rccreatior 3 Ground, and said that though the as i soeiation had no objection, of course, tc . the council's plans, it did wish to poinl i out that if the courts were hired to the public on terms similar to those apply- . ing at Miramar, the association would 3 lose substantially in revenue, tho cstii mate being a drop of £50 per annum 3 and that would make tho association's . position as regarded the repayment ol . the full debt still more difficult. r "WIPE IT OUT ONCE AND TOR \ ALL." L "As regards tho main question," said • Mr. White, "wo ask that tho council s should wipe tho debt out once and foi ; all." He said that the association had > met the reserves committee of the couni cil on two occasions, and it was under- ; stood that a recommendation had come i forward that the matter should bo de- • ferred for twclvo months. If thore was ] any likelihood that the debt could bo i paid iv twelve months, or in'twenty-four • months, then he would think that there was some reason in that recommCndai tion, but he did not think that there i was any such' possibility: Last year ■ the surplus was £27.. COURTS NOT IN GOOD ORDER. The hard courts in respect of which the debt was contracted, continued Mr. White, were not in good order, and had never been in good order, for those who did the work had' not a full knowledge of what was required. These courts today required patching and, for firstclass tonnis, should be surfaced. There was still a considerable area, sufficient for sixteen more hard courts, awaiting development, but if the £1300 debt was, held over the association's heads it could do no more, development work, for the council would have,first claim upon any surplus funds, _ and that would simply.mean stagnation. A SPLENDID ASSET. Mr. White said that the courts were free to school children during the week and were available for the schools tournament. A number of the courts were available for public hire at reasonable rates. It was essential that tho development should continue j and when the lease expired the association would hand over to the city as fine a tennis area as existed in Australasia. Did the council, as an alternative to wiping off the remainder of tho debt, wish to take over the courts and run them itself? If so, he was sure, the council would find.itself in not so good a position, for today it received, from interest and rates, about £100 per year. Councillor W. Duncan expressed doubts about that. Mr. White repeated that he did not believe that the council could bo in as good a position as today, for it was largely because tho association held its functions at Miramar that the scheme progressed. iWere tho association to lose that area and to move elsewhere, say, to the Hutt Valley, tho Miramar courts would fall away. In conclusion, Mr. White urged again that the balance of the debt should be wiped off and the association bo permitted to continue with the development of the area to the advantage of tennis players and eventually to the great advantage of the city when the leaso expired in sixteen years' time., ASSOCIATION'S FINANCES. Mr. J. L. MacDuif said that the Miramar courts had cost tho association £8876 in capital expenditure, provided approximately by £4100, the proceeds of a half-share in an art union, and £4000- subscribed by what were known as life members, supporters of tho game of tennis in general. In addition to this capital cost thero had been an annual loss as follows:—1928, £326; 1929, £309; 1930, £197; 1931, £307; 1932, £163; 1933, £278; total, over £ 1500. Such a" loss had been made with all the advantages the association possessed in running the- courts. The annual cost of running the courts and their maintenance was £550, which included tho wage of only ono man who cut and kept the thirty-two grass courts and looked after the "improvements. PUBLIC'S JUST DUE. The public had subscribed £4100 to the courts. Older players had sub-l scribed £4, and present-day players who could not afford it had had to provide the annual losses which ho had mentioned. . Surely, considering tho benefit tho sport was bringing to the city the city should make some small contribution, for that was what it camo to, and write off the £1300. The courts wero not merely the Wellington Lawn Tennis Association's courts, but were tho Wellington city's courts. If they were not there, none of tho overseas matches could be played in Wellington for the public to see, and, if it wero not for tho losses which were being paid by tho association it would not be possiblo to send, the school children out there. Councillor L. McKenzie said that tho courts were really basketball courts, but it was necessary to use them for some other purpose duriug the summer. Tho basketball ladies had contributed a considerable sum, and they wished to use the courts the same as tho tennis players. LOSS OF REVENUE. Mr. White said that the point was that the laying of .other courts would mean that the association's revenue would be cut into. Mr. Mac Duff said that they did not object to the letting of the new courts to clubs for a specific rental, but if they were handed to the public it would affect the association's revenue. Councillor Duncan: What rental do you get from tho courts you let now?— £175 a year. To the suggestion.by Councillor Duncan that, if there Were to be a wonderful asset in tho Miramar courts in sixteen years' timo they should bo almost an equal asset now, Mr. Whito replied that by that time more courts would bo there. Councillor Duncan: Would I bo wrong in saying that if we took over tho courts and let them out, as wo do at Day's Bay, we would make a profit of £500 a year? Mr, ,White! %fl«j (jouhj pot possibly

ton ' Lawn Tennis Association helping you. , Mr. MacDuffi pointed out that the association made a great part of its revenue by running inter-club matches EFFECT OF HATAITAI COURTS. To Councillor Forsyth Mr. Whito sale that now Hataitai courts, so mucl: nearer the city, must have the effect ol taking players from Miramar. Tho question of privileges to sub scribor life members was raised bj Councillor M. F. Luckic. , To this Mr. White rejoined that while life members had certain privileges, anc 3 were entitled to them, in effect the} i did not expect them. Ho was a life £ member, but had never had any privi , leges. After further discussion the Mayoi s said that tho council would considoi t tho whole matter. From one point ol j view it condensed itself to this: whe . ther tho council took over control, oj whothor tho association retained it. II 1 the council took over control the debl ,- would automatically be wiped out, be . causo the city would then owo it tc T itself, and it would havo to run the ' 'grounds without the support of the I Tennis Association, and also withoul t any rates, but if tho association were D left in charge and tho debt were wiped . out there would possibly bo rent, and rates paid to tho city.