A SHELTER SHED

Evening Star, Issue 14630, 28 July 1911, Page 9

A SHELTER SHED

WANTED AT BROAD BAY. The Otago Harbor Board yesterday afternoon were waited upon by a deputation consisting of about SO residents of and visitors to Broad Bay, whoso object was to receive the board’s favor in the matter of providing a shelter shed aud other accommodation at Broad Bay. The deputation were introduced by Mr A. L. Moritzson.

The chairman of the board (Mr V,. Belcher) informed the deputation that they would lie given the privilege of occupying the board's time for 10 minutes and no longer. There were only two speakers--Messrs Moritzson and Somerville —-and they kept strictly to the limit of their “ privilege.” ) Mr Moritzson said the fact that the board had come to a decision respecting the wharf at Broad Bay, it was not now necessary to submit a petition. The board’s choice of a site had been the correct one. Ho went on to speak of the necessity for putting up a shelter shed aud other conveniences at Broad Bav. Thousands of visitors wont down to Broad Bay, and the shelter provided at present only accommodated some 50 persons. The deputation desired that there should be provided, at a reasonable outlay, a shelter shed that would accommodate several hundred persons. It was impossible lor them to approach the Road Board, as that board had no funds at their disposal. He mentioned that all that was wanted could be provided at a coat of £230. If the board could not seo their way to comply with this the deputation asked them to consider an alternative. The people of Broad Bay had raised £7O, which was spent on the wharf, which the board had now taken over. If the board would place that £7O towards this purpose and supplement it with another £BO (making £l5O in all) the people themselves would find the balance required to put up the desired structure.

Mr T. Somerville said that in northern ports a great deal more of this sort of thing was done by the Harbor Boards than was the case here. Ho wont on to advocate that the board should reclaim Smith’s Bay. The chairman of the board had recently said that Ravonsbourno would get its recreation reserve, Lake Logan would bo handed over to the City Corporation, and Anderson Bay would get their 10 acres for a recreation ground. Ho (Mr Somerville) would like, therefore, to see something done to secure a ground for recreation in the district around Smith’s Bay. That bay had been chosen by the deputation because of the narrow opening and large area contained within it. No doubt the Harbor Board intended getting shallow dredges to dredgo out the eastern channel, and the dredged material could be deposited in Smith's Bay for reclamation purposes. The speaker mentioned that land in that vicinity was worth from £I,OOO to £1,200 an acre. The chairman promised that the deEutation’s request would bo considered y the- board, aud when the deputation had withdrawn, the matters brought up were referred to the Works Committee.