DOMAIN BOARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5372, 4 February 1879, Page 3

DOMAIN BOARD.

Tut. _ .. of the Board was heM THE monthly meeting . he Minister's Room, rw™ ? ,n esent: Mr. G. M. U i ldi ? B u. & ,h »P the Mayor iuitford (in the chair), his Won. nd his Wor. °V *r d ' T " Peacocl£ » Esq.), u. -aan Eiq.). ship the Mayor of Parnell (W. Cole. „'roviouH Ihe Secretary read the minutes of the k meeting, which were confirmed. "**ed Water and Cricket.—A letter was recou from the Town Clerk of Auckland, in reply fct, a letter from the Board, stating that the Auckland Corporation, upon the Board withdrawing its objection to the lifting of the pipes the Domain, had resolved to give the cricketers the free use of the water supply to an extent not exceeding 10,000 gallons annually, the Board paying the cost of the meter.—The Chairman : I must say that the Corporation do not appear to be animated either by a generous or liberal spirit toward the cricketers. Ten thousand gallons a year ! lam informed the requirements will be five times that. There is no place in the whole of New Zealand where the cricketers have not been treated with a generous spirit in this particular. little Nelson has recognised the claim 3 of her young men in pursuing the sport, which has become national, and is acknowledged to be in the highest sense conducive to the health and strength of those young men and lads who will hereafter be the men forming part — 1 and the most important part—of the city population. Looking at the matter in another light, they give us 10,000 gallons of water in the year. That is a liberal contribution of £1, which would be the price of the j water, while they ask us to expend £10, which would be the cost of the meter. So far as the Domain Board is concerned, it has nothing to do with cricket, but it has acted in this matter on behalf of the cricketers. The Domain itself exists for the benefit of the inhabitants of the city. Take another aspect of the matter, and it will be seen how totally inadequate this pro- j posal is to the requirements of the case or the j claims of the cricketers. The Corporation a3k < us to allow them to lift a quantity of pipes J which are sunk in tfce land, which were placed there by the late Provincial Government, no J doubt for the benefit of the city ; but I under stand that the legal view of the matter is that these pipes form part of the legal estate which the Board has to administer, and if the Board is asked to give them to the Corporation, a fair equivalent should be expected. The City Council asks us to accept 10,000 gallons of water annually, to be at the cost of £10 for the meter, and to give them pipes, property certainly worth £100, which, I am informed, may be j worth £300. The proposal is most unreasonable. It is hard that a cricketer should not get t a drink of water from the city. The cricketers themselves are, for the most part, young men employed in the city—the sons and employees of ratepayers, and, perhaps, Bome of them ratepayers. Looking at it in this light, they should have a fair claim, without being asked for any equivalent whatever. I think this proposition ought not to be accepted, anil I therefore move that it be declined.—Mr. Coleman : I will second the motion. I think the proposition is one j! that we would not be at all justified in accepting.—His Worship the Mayor: I regret that this matter was not arranged amicably, as it should have been. I was anxious that it should be so arranged. I understand that the City Council received a reply from this Board, to the effect that the quantity of water required ' would be about 5000 gallons. The Council doubled that quantity. I do not think , there is any necessity to invest a purely business i transaction with mere matter of sentiment. I i have no doubt that everybody would be desirous of doing what is necessary for the convenience 1 of tfye cricketers. —The Chairman's motion was 1 put and carried. Lease.—Messrs. Pemberton and Morgan forwarded an estimate of the annual value of the land proposed to be taken from their holding, viz., £15 a-year.—lt was resolved that the i rent of the lesssee should be reduced by this ( amount. 1 Chinese Gardening.—Ah Hung sent in a proposal to lease the piece of land now un-occu- i pied opposite Fraser and Tinned Foundry. He offered £17 a-year for it, on condition that tke Board would allow him to run a pipe into the stream that runs alongside of the ground.—The proposal was accepted. The ordinary accounts were passed, and the business concluded.