FREE GRANDSTAND USE OF TOWN BELT

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 114, 16 May 1934, Page 16

FREE GRANDSTAND

USE OF TOWN BELT

QUESTION AGAIN OPENED

"I wish again to bring before the notice of members the tremendous disadvantages and loss sustained through the free use of the Town Belt as a grandstand," said the manager of the Wellington Show Association (Mr. G. Mitchell) at the meeting of the executive last night. '.'On two days a man was put on to check the approximate numbers taking advantage of the free show, and he reported that, although there was great difficulty in counting, the number was between 800 and 1000 on the Saturday and between 600 and 800 on the Monday.

"That is some evidence that had a reasonable proportion of those people paid Is admission, we have lost £50," remarked the chairman (Mr. C. J. B. Norwood). "Members of our executive who have been members of the City-Council in the past' have done everything they could to secure at least some protection against this unfortunate position. Prom the remarks which the Mayor made, he was entirely of the belief that something should be done, but there was a legal difficulty, that the Town Belt was vested in the council for' the people, and the right to exclude the public fj-om it can only be secured in two ways—Councillors may lease a piece of the Belt to the association, or definite Parliamentary sanction to the exclusion must be obtained. FOE, FEW HOURS ONLY. "It was suggested that a certain area should be included in the lease the council has already given which would enable us to protect it for those few hours a year in which we require it," continued the chairman. "The • last thing the association wants is to take that piece of ground away from the public. I have always felt ihat its only practicable use was for scenic purposes—to look at rather than to go upon. The suggestion was that we should mark out an area by a fence to. indicate the enclosure from which at a given time we would be able to exclude the public for that particular time only.'' Councillor J.. Burns, the chairman of the reserves committee, who made his first ■ appearance as a member of the executive last night, said that he was against letting slip another portion of the Town Belt. ; RATEPAYERS UNFAVOURABLE. • Mr. Burgoyne-Thomas remarked that amongst "ratepayers there was a strong feeling of objection to "the association's proposals in regard to the piece of the Belt in question, and the City Council must take that side of the question into consideration., . The manager mentioned" the sums spent on the grounds by the association and remarked that people did not go on the piece of ground in question from one end of the year to the other. Councillor Burns: That is not so. Mr. Mitchell: It is "only used'as a grandstand, and in no other way. It is not right for the public to have the use of it for that purpose when the association puts on' shows at considerable expense. "We spent £158 to put on the horse events, which they viewed from there for nothing. Mr. J. G. Goldsmith said that he had walked past the-spot in the mornings several times a week for twenty years. He did not see a dozen people a year there. FREE, LIKE SUNSHINE. "That's not the time people sit up there," said Councillor Burns. It was used extensively by people on fine Saturday afternoons and Sundays. He was pledged to support the "hands off the Town Belt" ideal. He was up there with Councillor Bennett during the visit of , the Australian League team, and the actual numbers of people using the Belt then were trebled in the reports. People who were on the hill were those who could not afford to pay entrance fees, but took the show in, like the sunshine, for nothing. The chairman said that the use of the reserve by the association would be limited to some ten hours a year. It wonld be a hard place to Git without hanging on to a shrub. The association had spent £50,000 in. and around* the spot, and ■in the opinion of the City Council, it would mean that any assistance given the association would be given to the public.

Councillor Burns said that the council had been under the impression that the association intended to put a board fence all round the spot. If some compromise in regard to fencing were arranged, and the matter came before the reserv.es committee, it would be prepared to consider the matter again. It was decided to refer the position to the joint committee upon which all the bodies concerned have representatives.