NO GOLF ON SUNDAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18278, 20 December 1922, Page 11

NO GOLF ON SUNDAYS.

OPPOSITION OF COUNCIL.

THE BIBLICAL INJUNCTION.

DOES LABOUR MEAN SPORT.

[M TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

CHRISTCHURCH. Tuesday. The question whether the council should lease a river-bed reserve to the Ashburton Golf Club with the possibility of games being played on Sundays was before a meeting of the Ashburton County Council to-day. The question had previously been discussed when the application was first made by the club for a lease bf the reserve. It was referred to the Works Committee with power to act, but the committee decided to allow the whole council to settle the question, because the principle of Sunday play was involved. When the subject was reopened at a | meeting of the council to-day, letters were read from the local branches of the j Women's Christian Temperance Union and the session of St. Andrew's Presby- ! terian Church supporting the council in j the views expressed at the previous i meeting in regard to Sunday play. The j letters wero merely received, and the | chairman of the council, Mr. W. T. Lill, j proceeded to state that he objected to games being plaved on Sundays, and the j council should n'ot be a party to it. Mr. I T. Biackley, of Kakaia, also protested and I said there were plenty of holidays now | without encroaching on Sunday. Mr. W. W. Goodwin, of Lauriston, said the council was inconsistent. It allowed anglers to use its reserves on Sundays. The chairman moved that tenders be! called for the leasing of the reserve in j question, which is in a neglected state, with the condition that if the Golf Club secures the lease play on Sundays be prohibited. Mr. G. Murdoch, of May field, moved an amendment that tenders "be called without any conditions. It was explained that if another persou secured the lease a j provision could be included in the lease ! prohibiting Sunday play. I Mr. C. Reid. ex-chairman of the conn- | cil, said he always believed in Sunday ! being kept a holy day. Ho held to the j Biblical " Six days shalt thou labour and j rest on the seventh," but he never thought games constituted work. Re re- | sented the letters from the relipious bodies talking about the " nice things " the council had done. The chairman: I object to your casting | a slur on these letters. j Mr. Reid: Object as much as you like. You will not stop me expressing my

opinion. Continuing, Mr. Reid said: " Stop work, stop creameries, stop the trains, and stop the trams on Sunday, but don't stop sport. I have seen too much of these psalm-singing hypocrites who pretend to go to church on Sundays and pray. I am not talking of any member of the council. I say, let the poor working man have his pleasures." Mr. A. Horsey, of Spreadeagle. said that the law could not stop sport. If they stopped golf the players might do something worse. After a further expression of views, mostly against Sunday play, tho motion was carried that tenders be called for the

lease, a condition being that no Sunday play on the reserve be allowed.

A lease of a reserve controlled by the Ashburton Borough Council was previously rejected by the golf club, owing to the insertion of a clause prohibiting play on Sundays.

LAWN TENNIS NOT ALLOWED. MOUNT MAUNGANUI PETITION. [ill TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORKESI'ONPF.NT.] TAURANGA. Tuesday. At a meeting of the Mount Maunganui Domain Board last night, a petition signed bv 37 residents of the Mount was read. The petitioners stated that they were in favour of tennis being played on the courts there on Sundays. Tho board decided that no action bo taken in the r matter.