THE CAVERSHAN DRILL HALL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14278, 29 July 1908, Page 2

THE CAVERSHAN DRILL HALL.

TO THE EDITOR. Sin,—Caversham residents will remember that 6omo littlo time ago troublo arose in connection with tho Cavoreham Drill Hall between tho local Volunteer Corps and the City Council. Tho reason was that tho Caversham Band was granted permission to uso the hall for practice without oven consulting the Volunteers. After the expense of a law cajo had been incurred, the question a 6 to ownership was hurig up for some months; tho result being in favour ot the council. In the meantime, however, the Volunteers continued to use the hall, but as tlioy did not spend any money to keep it in repair as before the place has become in a very dclapidated condition. The City Council Works Committee in its last report- on this matter recommended that £60 be spent on the Caversham Drill Hall, providing tho Volunteers paid half cost, guaranteed that tlioy would keep the place in good order, and appointed a caretaker. Tho council itself has really let the placo go to ruin, and now. it wants the Volunteers to pay half the cost of repairing it. The present corps when it was first formed some eight- years ago 6pont something hko £300 upon repairs and additions to the hall, and now the council has stepped in, and. though it ba9 reaped tho benefit, refuses to keep tho place in further repair. The Volunteers have quite enough to do nowadays keeping thing 3 moving without having to worry about the City Council's interests, and yet tho City Council talks about encouraging the Volunteer Force' After all the trouble about the hall the local-band has never set foot inside the building up to . the present day—and no wonder: the_ place is not fit- for anybody to practice in. I may mention, as a comparison, that.the South Dunedin Councillors induced tho City Council to aitcr tho hall in their district .for the use of the public as reading rooms, etc., but tho Caversham representatives havo shown themselves very lax in not raising thpir voices against the local Volunteers being charged half cost towards repairing their hall. I trust that some abler pen than mine will take this matter up, and try to induce the Caversham residents to assist their local corps in obtaining their due.—l am, etc., Residekt. •