Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 1880. THE RACECOURSE RESERVE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 70, 27 April 1880, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 1880. THE RACECOURSE RESERVE.

It certainly cannot be said that matters pertaining to the Manawatu (Foxton) Kacecourse Reserve are in a satisfactory state. The reserve in question is situated about a mile from Foxton, and comprises 85 acres. Upon this ground it was customary for several years to hold meetings, but through some cause or other the racing spirit appears to have died out, and the reserve has fallen into disuse. Our object at present, however, is not to deal with the question of racing, but simply to point out the desirability of steps being taken to carry out the law relating to the reserve in question. By an Act of the Provincial Council of Wellington intituled '*. The Manawatu Bacecourse Act, 1869,-" the Foxton Eacecourse Eeserve was vested in the following Trustees, viz., Messrs Francis Robinson. Thomas TJppadine Cook, Alexander Gray, John Kebbell, junr., and John Taylor Dalrymple, who were appointed to hold it, " for the benefit of the inhabitants of the. district," three being a quorum at any meeting of trustees. By section 8 these gentleman were empowered to let the land on lease for 21 years, and " to apply all rents received from such land towards the support and beeping up of races in the Manawatu." It was also provided that in any lease drawn up, a reservation was to be made that the racecourse was to be open to the public for ten days in each year. Section 9 of the Act reads as follows : — " The Trustees shall once at least in every year hold a public meeting, to be called by notice published in two newspapers — one in the town or place nearest to the said land, and the other in the City of Wellington — at which meeting a true statement of all transactions, receipts, and disbursements respecting the said piece of land shall be presented in writing." The above are the principal provisions of "The Eacecourse Act," and the question arises, how far have they been complied with ? So far as we can learn, no attempts have been made to either lease or let the land, no meeting of the Trustees has been held for a very long period, and certainly no public meeting has been called for years past, if indeed one was ever held. We 1 bring these matters before the Trustees in the interest of the present and future residents- dftfiis part of Manawatu. The gentlemen ! named have had vested in them an important trust, j

and we call upon them to fulfil the requirements of the law and call a public meeting to ; give an account of their stewardship. The importance of this question of reserves is being discussed in various parts of the country, and if a large reserve of 85 acres immediately adjoining Foxton is allowed to lie idle year after year, we may expp-ct some day to find the Government bringing in a Bill to enable them to determine the trust, and convert the land to use of some kind. We shall probably be told that the Trustees have called no meeting because they have had nothing to report. But many people wish to know tohy there is nothing to report, and why the reserve has been allowed to lie idle so long. There is another point in this connection. Under the proposed deviation scheme, the railway line will cut off a large slice of the Racecourse Reserve, and it will be the duty of the Trustees to bring this matter before the Government, with a view to obtaining compensation. It is quite possible that an arrangement could be made by which sufficient money would be received as compensation for the land taken to enable the Trustees to fence off a good course. Certainly, this matter demands early attention at the hands of the Trustees. They have been appointed, as we have already quoted, " to hold the land for the benefit of the inhabitants of the district," and we trust they will at once meet and take steps to bring their claim for compensation before the Government. If they find the present law unworkable, they should get a Bill passed during the forthcoming session of Parliament, making such alterations as are expedient in the present law regarding the Reserve, so that this valuable recreation ground may no longer be lost to the public of Foxton.