DRAINING ST. JOHN'S LAKE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18553, 10 November 1923, Page 10

DRAINING ST. JOHN'S LAKE.

The opposition displayed in some quarters to the draining of St. John's Lake, suggested with a view to creating another sports ground for the city, should not be taken very seriously. It is ea.sy to deal in impressive heroics about a sanctuary for waterfowl and the charm of ornamental water, and even to work oneself into a fine frenzy over the aesthetic influence of natural scenery bountifully bestowed and callously destroyed. But what are the facts? Here is a sheet of water, very shallow and practically still, with several feet of mud and decayed vegetation at its bottom. It covers now about 43 acres, while it serves to keep in a more or less damp condition the 130 acres of reserve surrounding it. Nothing calculated to give the people enjoyable access to the reserve can be done until the lake is drained. If its draining were likely to affect detrimentally Onehanga's water supply there would be something to be said against the City Council's project on the ground oi utility. But it has been proved by expert investigators that • Onehunga's water supply does not come from this source. Even if it did, any thought of a serviceable supply . being got indefinitely from the lake is foolish, in view of the development of Onehunga and its surroundings. Nor is the case for preservation on aesthetic grounds at all strong. The lake is by no means strikingly beautiful, and Auckland is not dependent upon one or two inland lakes for the appeal and inspiration of quiet aquatic scenes. Such scenes abound in the coves that fret the shores of both our harbours, and they far surpass the lake in beauty. The objectors assume that to drain the lake will destroy the charm of the reserve. It will,' on the contrary, prepare the way for effective treatment of • the whole area, now in obvious need of improvement. A playing-field is. not necessarily an eyesore. Rather, to judge by Auckland's experience in the instance of the Domain oval, which was once a swamp, transformation to a sports ground may be happily associated with beautifying. as well as with the free public use of a quiet pleasure resort. The crux of the question is Auckland's crying need for more playing fields. In the words of the Mayorwho cannot, by even the wildest stretch of imagination, be mistaken for a . vandal — the solution of the problem, of this shortage is the draining of St. John's Lake.. Whatever improvement schemes may be propounded, the objector is always with us; but on this occasion objection is palpably misplaced.