PLUNKET REST ROOM.

Matamata Record, Volume XIII, Issue 1112, 7 April 1930, Page 4

PLUNKET REST ROOM.

QUESTION OF SITE. Difference of Opinion. ; - - There was a fairly good attendance , of the general public in the Matamata Town Hall on Thursday in response to the invitation of the chairman of the Town Board to meet < l and discuss ways and means of providing a ladies’ rest room and Plunket rooms for the town. In the unavoidable absence of the chairman of l the Town Board, Mr. J. Mclntyre occupied the chair. Apologies for absence were also received from Dr. 1 Laurenson and Messrs, T. H. Prowse, _ L. W. Barkman, H. E. Schofield and J. E. Cummings. In a few words the chairman exV plained that the object of the meet--3 ing was to devise ways and means of 2 erecting a rest room and Plunket a room. Mr. Bell asked if it was not the ’ intention to discuss the site. 3 Mr. Mclntyre thought the question j would te open to the committee to settle. Mr. Stevens stated a scheme had been prepared for the Hetana street 1 site, and they were now asking for 3 a popular verdict. He, personally, j and he' felt the committee also, was prepared to work solidly for the * scheme quite irrespective of site. / Mr. Bell held that the question of 3 site needed a deal of careful thought. The closing of a street should be very carefully considered, as many t points apart from a mere rest room f were involved. Mr. Mclntyre assured the meeting that the Town Board would not act 3 without going fully into the matter. In conjunction with the Plunket Soi ciety and Beautifying Society the Town Board would give its services 3 in pushing the town ahead. Mr. Wilson thought the rest room , should be erected on as handy a site k as it was possible to get, and made as attractive as possible, ‘with the 1 idea of getting people into the town. Mrs. Buchanan urged that a committee be formed and that the responsibility of deciding the site be 3 left with it. 1 Mr. Stevens stated that in making j claims on the public they needed a committee of responsible'citizens. It should be realised, however, that the Beautifying Society members were i the men behind the guns, j Mr. Simpson suggested a committee of nine, with power to add to their numbers, be elected. I Mr. Wilson urged that outside . workers like Mr. Davidson should be I appointed. Mr. Davidson nointed out that the i “ Te Poiladies were working very hard • in an .endeavour to raise funds. l- ■' Eventually the following committee was set up to deal with the question of site and ways and ‘means ] of raising funds:—Mesdames J. Buchanan, R. W. Stevens, P. Stewart, Lawrie and Underwood, and Messrs. Stevens, Mclntyre, Tong, Walker, Buchanan, Cummings and Griffiths. During, a discussion as to the estimated cost of the building, when it was stated the original cost was placed at £3OO, but was now put at £SOO, Mrs. Lawrie stated that the ladies expected to raise £4OO in a month. Rev. A. C. Hampton stated that Mr. Cummings, president of the Matamata Rugby Union, had requested him to state that the union would be willing to put on a football match,

the proceeds to be divided between the rest room and the St. Jbhn Ambulance Association. Mr. Simpson asked what provision was being made for maintaining the rest rooms. He did not want people to go away thinking that £SOO was the only liability. Mr. Bell stated that he had heard that the question of site was to he left to the school children. (Laughter). He thought that proposal was probably not meant. The chairman stated the sites -Mentioned were in Hetana street, opposite McL. Wallace’s apd near the Town Hall. j Mr. Bell asked that the committee lose no opportunity of getting popular feeling in regard to the site. Mr. Stevens stated in his opinion there was only one site, ‘but if the question of site was going to make one person unfriendly towards the movement he would immediately sink his own personal feelings. He did not see how they could beautify the hall site while Hetana street would be wider than Queen street (Auckland) after they had closed the portion suggested. The effort he held was in the best interests of property owners. Mrs. Buchanan pointed out that some people thought that they in- • tended to close Hetana street right (Continued in Next Column)

across, instead of only taking a very small part of it near the footpath, and where there was no footpath now. Mr. Stevens stated that he took it that if they tried to please everyone they would never get the rest room built. Mr. Walker: I take it that you will Jnot settle the question of site without giving ratepayers an opportunity of expressing their views. Mr. Bell stated that in his opinion I the site by the Bank of New Zealand was the best in every way. So long as : Mr. Stevens was in the town there would be no difficulty in regard to keeping Hetana street a beauty spot, ut they had to look to ,the future. It was an easy matter to close a street but a very difficult matter to open it again. On the motion of Messrs. Walker and Bell, it* was then decided to recommend that no site be agreed upon by the committee without giving the public and ratepayers an opportunity of discussing the question and ex-; : pressing its opinion. 'ff At the conclusion >pf the public meeting the committed met for a few moments and appointed Mr. J. Mclntyre, chairman, and Mr. K. W. Stevens, secretary and treasurer.