THE MATAMATA RECORD. MONDAY, MARCH 24, 1930. TOWN RESERVES.

Matamata Record, Volume XIII, Issue 1108, 24 March 1930, Page 4

THE MATAMATA RECORD. MONDAY, MARCH 24, 1930. TOWN RESERVES.

NOW that the condition of the playingl areas on- the Matamata domain has -been brought to the notice of the chairman of the Domain it is, ‘to be?-hoped that those interested will see to it that the matter is'jfto&ecUted with vigour, with a view to making the domain into a first-class recreation ground such as the status of the town warrants. The chairman of the board, who is keenly interested in cricket and other sports, is, to use a phrase popular in political circles, fully seized with the position, and he recognises the necessity for making the ground a recreational centre for the district. So far as this is concerned it must be admitted that the area falls far short of what it ought to be, and, of course, one great difficulty is the fact that almost all Domain Boards, labouring under the provisions of an Act which is somewhat out-of-date, find the utmost difficulty in providing funds for little more than bare necessities. Matamata is comparatively well provided with reserves, and, now that these:are becoming fairly valuable and producing rents, it is well that the position be fully gone into when the estimates for the coming year are being framed. After all reserves are specifically set aside as breathing spaces and so long as the income from these areas can be spent profitably in beautifying the town or improving existing reserves, it does not appear to be right that this income should be diverted to other purposes by lumping it with other moneys in the general fund. The position is complicated by the Domain Boards Act, as we have stated, and most local bodies now endeavour to get the title to any new reserves vested in the local body rather than allow such areas to come under the Domain Boards Act, as this move ensures far greater freedom of action. But quite apart from any such difficulties it does seem a just and businesslike procedure to ensure that all moneys received from any class of reserve should be definitely earmarked for expenditure on the purposes for which reserves 1 were created in the first place. Through the efforts of an energetic Beautifying Society, Matamata has made great strides in an aesthetic sense during the past year and every possible move should now be taken to support and broaden the scope of this effort, so that the town will become a leading centre in every sense of the term.