THE SHOWGROUNDS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11857, 23 September 1931, Page 4

THE SHOWGROUNDS.

SOLO TO BUSH RUGBY UNION s “NO ALTERNATIVE.” Yesterday afternoon an extraordinary general meeting of the Bahiatua A. and P. Association I again considered the question of disposing of the Showgrounds and this time clinched the deal and accepted the revised offer of the Bush Bugby Union. The meeting, which was held in the Commercial Hotel, was fairly well attended, being representative at least, and was presided over by Mr H. Cotter, the new president. As the outcome of the last meeting of the Association the secretary (Mr J. A. Walsh) wrote as follows to the Bush Rugby Union: “In reply to your letter of 14th inst., I am instructed to say that the statement contained in your letter is not the offer made by the A. and P. Association. This was in short that your Union was to pay us £SO, plus the amount of £ll 10s due by your Union, and take over the whole of our liability to Dr. Dawson. This means that you are to pay us £6l 10s in cash. The matter of rent to Dr. Dawson from the Ist July, 1931, to the 25th October, 1931, is now raised for the first time and is inconsistent with the proposal to take over the whole of the Association’s liability to Dr. Dawson. Your original offer also stated that you were to pay the whole of the rates, but the Association is willing to waive this stipulation. As above stated this was the proposal agreed upon at the general meeting of the Association, and the committee who discussed the proposal with you has no power to accept any other.” THE REVISED OFFER. Mr S. K. Siddells, secretary of the Rush Rugby Union, in replv stated: “I am in receipt of your letter of 16tli inst. A few of my Committee met on Tuesday afternoon and instructed me to advise you that the Bush Rugby Union, in view of its own slender resources, and especially m view of its intended immediate ground improvement scheme, cannot increase its offer. “The offer made by the deputation to your annual meetino- was £9GO. As a result of that deputation your sub-committee met our -Committee and we offered to purchase the_ grounds for £IO9O. The sum of £SO cash was certainly mentioned, because the matter ' of accrued rent from Ist July last due f° Dr. H. T. Dawson was overlooked by us, just in the same way as it was overlooked by your Committee. That offer also included £ll 10s rent which was due to you for our use of the ground. The fact remains that we made an offer to purchase the grounds for £IO9O and we still are prepared to do so paying you cash over and above the whole of Dr. Dawson's liabiiitv as at 25th October next, the date to which Mr Risset has paid his rent. There is no reason why this transaction should be treated differently to any other transaction. Apportionments are always made Apparently from your letter, your counter offer was intended to mean than on 2oth October next we were to pay you £6l' 10s and i:’ , ... • e ’"hole of Dr. Dawson’s liabilities and the rates. That would mean the ground would be costing us £1029 9s 6d. Our offer in replv was £IOOO including £ll 10s rental A subseement meeting of onr Com™'V :er Y deeded to pay the rent LI l Ids wlncli we have done and to renew our offer to purchase vour grounds for £IOOO, cash over ' Dr Lawson’s liabilities with rates and insurances apportioned. We have not shifted nor can we shift from onr final offer and in fact have paid £l| 10s in addition. The matte;- of accrued rent from Ist Julv has now been cleared up and it cei tninly should not bo toreed on the Rugbv Union to pay this £l7 16s especially when von’ have had the rent for that period both from P. A. Bisset and the Rugby Union too. “The position is quite clear now to us and as previously stated our

only desire is to assist your Association. We were assured that even after the payment of £SO you would still be in debt about £l4, but your *next meeting publishes the fact that if £6l 10s is paid you will have a credit balance of £33 to start off with. We are not prepared to pauperise ourselves to finance the Show. Our aim was to get your Association out of its present difficulties. We were persuaded to increase our offer from £960 to £IOOO and then later to £lOll 10s. Now you are asking us still to expend a further £l6 plus your proportion of the rates. If we agreed to your proposals, our funds would not permit us to enter upon the improvements to the oval contemplated, and although £l6 does not seem a very large amount, it is of more concern to us in our scheme than it is to your Association which will start off with the credit of £l7 instead of £l6. “The suggestion has been put up by your sub-committee that an adjoining owner has offered to take the showgrounds on better terms than the Rugby Union. He requires it for running cows and while the showgrounds will be lost for use by the Rugby Union, I should like to draw your attention to the fact that cows on the oval in winter time will not be conducive to a level ground in the summer, and the holding of jumping events would be dangerous both to horses and riders. However, whether you accept this offer or our offer is your business. We do not wish to influence you one way or the other. Our offer stands £IOOO and cash over Dr. Dawson’s liability as at 2oth October next, with rates and insurances apportioned. In the meantime, we are not proceeding with our incorporation, and further delay is likely to ensue with regard to a settlement should our offer be accepted. Moreover the New Zealand Rugby Union will not wait indefinitely to assist financially and 1 am instructed to advise you that unless the offer is accepted or refused on or before 29th inst. the Rugby Union will proceed no further in the matter.” Mr Cotter said the Union had offered to take over Dr. Dawson’s liability, which meant the rent up to October 25th, the date of the transfer of the property to the Union. Now, however, the Union refused to pay the rent up to October 2otli and would only do so up to July Ist. They were consequently debiting the amount of the extra rent £l7 16s against their offer, though they were conceding the Association the £ll 10s so much in dispute at the last meeting. Of course the Association had been willing for the Union to take over the ground as soon as they liked but the Union was not able to do so because it was not yet an incorporated body. Meantime, the ground was still the Association’s, and the Rugby Union contention was that tlie Association was liable for the rent. This was not in accordance with their original offer to take over all of Dr. Dawson s liability and so matters had reached a deadlock. It simply meant that whereas at last meeting the Union’s offer was the price of the ground, the liabilities to Dr. Dawson, and £SO less £ll 10s Rugby Union rental for the season, it "was now £SO minus £li 16s (the extra rental to the doctor). He admitted that the Bush Rugby Union had a very comprehensive ' scheme to do the ground up by means of draining, fencing and levelling. To be fair to the Union also their funds were limited and they had a lot of expense to meet in improving the Showgrounds. The Association had had to take the offer or leave it, but they had things one way or another before leaving the meeting. If they accepted the Union’s present offer the Association would be able to pay off all its debts and still have about £3O clear to start the year with. They had a credit of £52 10s in the Bank today. Mr F. V. Bryant said he thought they had wasted enough time over the deal. The executive committee had made the best bargain possible and he would move that the Bush Bugby Union’s offer be accepted. Mr G. H. Hodd seconded Mr Bryant’s motion. He thought the Association could still consider itself quite fortunate with even the present offer. He would not like to see the grounds sold privately and lost to the public of Pahiatua. He would certainly have liked to see the Association obtain a bit more money for it, but that seemed out of the question now. Mr H. McSherry thought that Mr Bryant had put the whole thing in a nutshell when he said that the Union’s offer, definitely, was to take over the whole of the liability to Dr. Dawson. The Association had been willing to hand over the ground at once. Instead, they now found they had to pay the rent till the Union became an incorporated body and could take over the property. Mr McSherry said he had received an offer of £6O per acre from a private individual but that offer had now been withdrawn, so that the Association had only the Rugby Union’s offer before' it. Mr G. H. Brown, iu the course of his remarks, contended that the present offer of the Union was not consistent with its original proposal. However, the Association had no option but to accept the present offer The motion that the Bush Riwby Union’s latest offer for the purchase of the Showgrounds be accepted was then put and carried by an overwhelming majority, there being only two dissentients. On the motion of Mr Bryant a ceiy hearty vote ot thanks was accorded the special committee, Mean's H- McSherry, H. Cotter, and ii ** • Brown, for the pains they bad taken in the negotiations with the Bush Rugby Union tor the sale of the Showgrounds. (Applause'. The president, secretary, and treasurer were authorised to operate on the banking account and all outstanding accounts are to be paid forthwith. A hearty vote of thanks was ar—corded Mr J. P. Boyle for the use of the room.