THE CENTENNIAL MEMORIAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23718, 27 January 1939, Page 5

THE CENTENNIAL MEMORIAL

TO THE EDITOR Sir, Under the headline “ Baulked Again,” a report in Tuesday’s issue of the Times states that the scheme of the Memorial Committee to establish a Centennial Park on Signal Hill has been suspended because the Council has in the meantime withheld its consent. When the Finance Committee asked the council to approve of the scheme by voting £2OOO towards it, I formed the impression that the council was only luke-warm about the whole proposal. I believe that feeling is shared by a great many of our citizens, particularly the ratepayers, who will have to foot the bill for the upkeep of this park in future years, or else see it go back to jungle just as the 24 acre Jubilee Park has done.

From the beginning of scheme 5 in 1931, and right up to the present time, the Reserves and Works Departments of the City Council have had at their disposal a large body of men whose labour has been wholly or partly paid from the Employment Promotion Fund. With this virtually free labour, the Reserves Department in particular increased enormously the area of parks, reserves, playgrounds and garden plots under its control. These improvements have been very desirable and no doubt fully -appreciated by the citizens, but the chickens will come home to roost when the Government carries out its declared intention of no longer providing free labour for local bodies. The Reserves Department is already employing 127 men whose wages of £4 16s per week come from the Employment Promotion Fund. The discharge of these men means a loss to the department of over £30,000 worth of labour during the next financial year. The question arises—where is the money coming from to maintain the parks, gardens, and playing fields created during the past eight or nine years? Before the Council can commit the ratepayers to an annually recurring expenditure of from £IOOO to £2OOO on a new park, its duty will be to tell the citizens how much it is going to cost to maintain, under the new conditions which will apply in April, the parks and other amenities already in existence. Apart from this, the question may well be asked. Is the proposed park at Signal Hill acceptable to the citizens as a centennial memorial? I doubt it. On account of its height above the city, it would probably be used by only those who own cars, and by its exposed position it is open to all the winds that blow. Mr S. P. Cameron brought forward an excellent scheme which was ruled out on account of its cost. There are other proposals which could be examined, and in a subsequent letter I hope to bring forward one for consideration. Meantime. I hope that the Council will continue to hold up the Signal Hill scheme. —I am, etc., January 26. John L. Mclndoe. TO THE EDITOR Sir, —It will be with great relief that ratepayers read in your journal that our City Fathers have refused to decide that the city and the ratepayers shall be saddled with the expense for all time of the cost of keeping in order another park, on the top of Signal Hill. Dunedin already has many beautiful scenic parks. The Town Belt in itself is a beautiful place, but very little used There is also'Jubilee Park, an unkempt waste area of land with the exception of a small corner used by a'local bowling club and, I presume, kept in order by that club. Surely there must be some more useful centennial memorial than another park, and something that will not be such a financial bprden on the ratepayers forever. Cr Shepherd has for many years been advocating in Council that a modern swimming baths be erected. I am not in a position to know whether a new baths is necessary, but if it is. what better memorial could there possibly be, and as the Hon. Mr Parry is advocating over the air the increase of lifesaving clubs, he would surely help to get a useful subsidy from the Government towards building an up-to-date swimming pool. Perhaps some of your readers interested in swimming could tell us if a new baths is necessary. However, your readers will be grateful to the Council for knocking on the head this scheme of a mountain top park.—l am, etc.. Grateful.