MB SB TENNIS?

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11663, 30 October 1923, Page 7

MB SB TENNIS?

IN FITZ9ERBE3T TERRACE BATEEATEfftS WAIT ON RESERVES COMMITTEE. ' SHOtXD HAVE COME BE.EORK. A largo- and influential deputation from the Wellington North Ratepayers’ Association waited upon the reserves committee of the City Council yesterday afternoon, to lay before it a proposal to substitute tennis court* for the nreeent avenue of pine trees in Itttznei'bept terrace. . The members of the- committee prts sent were Councillors "W. J. 1 hompsori {ohairnwln),, Mjrs MpVioar, Aston, JJfun, "and Chapmen. Mb' J. G.. MaoKenzie (director of reserves) was aldo in at tendance. ■‘TUPS HOUSING VE'RiMIN.”

f Mr R. W. Shallcrass, principal k apokesmkiT of the deputation, apologised for the absanco of the prescient of the association' CMr H. F. O’Leary), who had' an important case on in the. Su- * - prerae* Gou-r-t. The object of the deputation, said Mr Shallcrass, was to n>ake certain proposals for the improvement of-. Fite?fterbert- terrace. These proposals * would* 1 necessitate the cutting dowif of ? thev trees there; and, as a rule, the association would not advocate that, 1 1 but i>j*i Herbert and Dr. Hurst, both ;• members of their committee, *aid that ' the sooner the trees were got out- of i 1 the ways the better it would be for the j health of the community. The trees, jin th'eir opinion, harboured a lot oi \ vermin and dust, and were no good at all. The-, association believed that the : area ccpld be. utilised with profit to* the * community and' made a beauty spot, by f laying dowit: tennis courts, for which there was a strong demand in the city. They* did? not wish to prejudice anyr thing that was*-being done at Miramar, , but' locked upon their scheme as a feeder to the greater scheme. "DESTRUCTION OF TREES.*' There was some doubt as to which . committee was. the right one to apI preach; bpt- they thought it would be well ta place the case before the reserves committee and ash. for advice how to proceed further. There was some objection from local residents a ■ few ago to the destruction of the trees*; but the association understood ) that- that objection Had now been H \*iihdrawQ. Mr .Tensen, one* of the largest property owner* in the street, offered no objection. The trees had ( lost all their beauty they affou-'d j shelter for undesirables; the rubbish i from the pine trees wae a nuisance to ■ those living in the street. ' FOUR TENNIS COURTS PROPOSED, j | The? street was about 700 feet long, i ;.*nd* a-bqufc 12.0* feet- w;ide. This would ji ! ajlqw: the 'formation of four tennis { ! courts, each 120 feet long, and would j give a- 20-foot roadway on each side *; of the courts and a i2-foot footpath 1 Off. eapH side of the street, a’so an ‘ qnnameutaT plot, at each end and in , the middle, as shown in the plan pro i duced. Play areas in the street? were \ not a new or undesirable thing. Connfiller C. B. Norwood, who hud jusi j returned from America, stated 1 , that he [ j s*w streets in New York and other j cities used for organised games. Dr U Truby King said? ‘‘Public authorities ! t are naturally inclined to hesitate be- jj fqre consenting, to recreational schemes |. affecting public property. There need, | t hpwevei, be little hesitation when It cpines to any reasonable provision of dpe incentives axid ; facilities. in regard-L tq the forms of recreation, which will j fake people into the open air and eun : F shine, and keep them there—getting I j tlic maximum of benefit physical, I n mental anfl. mpraj) in the minimum of ! •* tifme. Iti these respects nothing can !!' compare with childien’s playgrounds, , public swipiming baths, and tennis i e courts open to all.’’ j QUOD PAXINO PROPOSITION. I Mr Shalicrass urged that, quite apart ( a from thp inestimable value to thq.,j w health of the people the of j. n the courts w.oujd; pay. in. pounds, shiilings, and: pence. The. asphalt courts at ! Day’s Bay cost about £2OO. each, and Id court* in the city requiring- some ex- fa cavation had? been- laid down toi about | the s&me amount. The removal, of i> o the trees, might be expensive, but c i fiIOOO- would! oe an outside estimate for the four courts, complete with wirq netting and. steel standards, and- other ornaments giye ai pleasing appearance, t

One coqrt could earn 15s. on a fine , summer. holiday, ‘apd they did that at • Day's Bay. This was by. charging at the rate of-84', per player per hour 'lf ; throughout tlip year each, coprt carped, i : only 15s per week, instead of los per day, tho four courts would? provide a ►. revenue oft £l5O- per annum, a very a| good- business proposition. This, should|n@ a low estimate of. revenue. At Day’s Bgy 12 courts,' provided' a re > -venue, of £33s. 6s for six'mopths; equal ;| tq abput £22Q,Fqr Four.'courts’per anil S®W*' There w.pp very little play at j Day's, Bgy, dpripg the, week, and courts - ip, the city ought to proyide. a larger .j rovenpa. than those, on’ the oilier side 6§ thei harhpji-r. i- bgllfiijtiop-. of, fpes would; present little difficulty, as it could be done by hfr Steptoe,; caretaker of, the. Queen's. Park, oh his assistance; or might be Undertaken, on a sun all commission, by | some of the residents. The plan" gave sorrje idea how the street, would: look—-an animated scene on 'a 'fine day ; and, at. pight it would fie, lighted with lamps similar t.i those at. Oriental Bay, The garden plots dould be used* by a. different:- type of porson, to those who lurked there ;i> Dip. present doyk ‘condition of the street*. " '" i I My A, Newton and V. Jensen strongly supported, the scheme, the !*,t----j tpr urging that the cost should not he anything hke £IOOO. as the trees, sold ,[ for firewood, should pay for their own' removal.

Councillor Burn asked if. the association would be prepared to carry out the work ip' the event of the evened not secipe it|g. way to. dp so. % Sjifllcr.ass said; thafTthp, association would he very glad, to take it In iii Rome, say in the runof, the. court?. The- present snipes-t-iqp- was that they, should he municipal courts open to all. ' ' Councillor. Chapman asked if the reoidehts in the, street were favourable to the scheme. Mr Shallcrnss: Yes. VANDALISM;.

('ouncil)pr Chapman said that if the council, took it un it iyoiil,d he. immediately thiyriyn at them thfit they wore ran dole, for cutting, down the trees. ft was also a question whether they bad a frigal right to interfere with the high.

Mr Shallcrass replied that the courts

would not interfere with the. highway any more than the trees now did. Replying to Councillor Aston, he said that about one-fifth of tho whole area at present occupied by the trees would . be open to the public ns gardene, apart I front the tennis courts. I j “A BOON” “SHOC'LO HAVE COME BEFORE.” Councillor Thompson said that the committee wore very glad that the deputation had come along to put the matter before if. It was a question that- had been before the council for many years. In the late Councillor ]«>ostV. time they got an estimate for the. removal of the trees and laying the area out as a small rest-park, and the estimate was £4OO. It was a pity that the deputation had not approached them. when firewood was scarce, a* they could have got the frees removed, and perha-ps have got a pound a tree for them. The «'OTinjirttc-e would consider the deputation’s proposal for making the area of use. They recognised that it was not very much use at the present time, and Thorndon found it difficult to get playing areas. The committee would like to provide a children's pbiygrcwMjd there ana croquet courts for the ladies. They might utilise a portion of the land for a croquet lawn. The matter, he took it, wag one that would have he to considered by the Finance Goinmitefe and the Works Committeebut his committee would put it before the other committees, and let the deputation- have a reply later on. He felt sure it would be a great boon to tit© tennis players of Wellington to. have four more courts at Thomdon, because at the present time tho Thprndon Club was overflowing, and the same applied, to all the other courte in city.