MATAURA DOMAIN

Southland Times, Issue 20463, 16 April 1928, Page 5

MATAURA DOMAIN

SPORTS BODIES AND COUNCIL CONFER. (From Our Correspondent.) At the last meeting of the Mataura Borough Council a select committee, which was appointed for the purpose, brought forward a recommendation to the council that all sports bodies using the grounds be charged a fee and a percentage of gate receipts for the use of same. The recommendation was adopted subject to a conference with the sporting bodies. This conference was held on Friday in the Coronation Hall, when the Mayor and several of the councillors met representatives of the various sporting institutions. Messrs F. Wallis, sen., and F. Murray, representatives of the Eastern District Sub-Union, were also present by invitation.

The Mayor (Mr C. D. McConnell) presided and briefly explained the object of the meeting. The council has passed a resolution that a fee of £2 2/- and a five per cent, levy on gate receipts be charged to all sporting bodies using the recreation grounds. The council was anxious to see some improvements effected to the grounds and to assist the sporting bodies to do so. He asked for expressions of opinions from the meeting.

Mr J. McAllister, speaking on behalf of the Football Club, said that owing to the holidays his club had not been able to have a meeting to discuss the matter, and he thought it would be better to have another fortnight to think it over.

Mr W. Gardiner, representing the Athletic Society, stated that the society would be hard hit. They had not been able to have a meeting yet, and he also considered that the matter should be held in abeyance in the meantime.

Mr H. M. Quilter said the Tennis Club had held a small meeting, but it was not sure whether it would benefit by any of the funds to effect improvements.

Mr J. H. Clark said the Cricket Club would like to see a meeting of all the sporting bodies. He would like to hear a discussion on the matter.

The Mayor thought that all the sporting bodies knew of the meeting.

Mr R. McDonald said as far as the Football Club was concerned, previous to last night it did not know what the business was. The attitude of the Football Club would be one of co-operation for the improvement of the grounds. The grass on the grounds was not cut enough. He understood that when the club contributed £3 3/- towards the purchase of a mower that the grass would be cut more often. The Football Club would do its share but there was no proposal before it.

The Mayor stated that the condition of the purchase of the mower was that all the sporting bodies would contribute.

In answer to Mr Gourlay (Association Football) the Mayor said that the fee proposed to be charged would apply to all sporting bodies using the grounds this year. The Mayor stated that all sporting bodies promised to contribute towards the mower. The council spent £l5 on the purchase of same on the understanding that all would help.

Mr J. McAllister contended that the Football Club spent more than any othei; body on the grounds.

In reply to a question regarding the amount of revenue derived from reserves in the borough it was stated that this amounted to £35, most of which was spent on repairing fences at the recreation grounds.

The Mayor stated that any money raised would be utilized on the recreation grounds.

In answer to a question Mr A. Thorn was informed that the grounds could be closed for about 25 days in the year with special orders.

Mr J. McAllister considered that asking the Football Club to pay £2 2/- was too much. They played the game for the sport and to provide the public with it.

Mr R. McDonald said that as far as the Football Club was concerned the management was struggling along with a subscription of 2/6, the other half of the subscription being used for an insurance fund, and in addition to this they assisted the junior teams in travelling.

Mr J. H. Clark asked the Mayor if the council could guarantee that space would always be available to the various clubs.

The Mayor said they could not guarantee anything. If the sporting bodies all assisted to raise funds the grounds could probably be extended. He would personally be in favour of selling the reserve on the hill to assist in enlarging the recreation grounds. Mr J. McAllister suggested forming a Grounds Improvement Committee, and the Mayor said he would be pleased to see such a committee formed, but the council would still be trustees.

Mr F. Wallis, sen., felt diffident about expressing an opinion on the subject, which was for the sports bodies of Mataura. He came with the intention of falling in with any suggestions. The Sub-Union was pleased at the treatment it had received so far from the council and would not object to assist. The Sub-Union and the Athletic Society were receiving the most revenue from the grounds, and it was only reasonable for them to help. The Sub-Union would be quite agreeable to anything fair and reasonable.

Mr F. Murray also spoke endorsing the previous speaker’s remarks.

Miss Thorn (Hockey Club) said the matter came before the annual meeting of the club. Nothing definite was proposed, and she had come to hear what was put forward. The hockey pitch was very rough. The Hockey Club received a donation from the Sub-Union one year, but last year did not receive anything. The club had employed a man to roll the pitch and the cost of the work had been shared by the Association Football Club.

The Mayor stated that the letter from the Hockey Club to the Sub-Union asking for a donation had been received too late for the annual meeting, but would be considered later. What they wanted to see was a decent pavilion go up and the grounds improved.

Councillor McKelvie said that as he was the first to move in the matter, he was pleased to see all the representatives of sporting bodies present. There was a number of grievances which was a healthy sign. The object of the proposal was to improve the grounds generally. The grounds were not in a good state and the seating accommodation in the pavilion was insufficient. With regard to the method of collecting revenue his first idea was to get it from the sporting bodies using the grounds most. The Sub-Union was taking money out of the town. Cr. Aitken had stated at the council table that the SubUnion had received £2B per annum, but he found from the Sub-Union’s balance-sheet that last year it received over £5O.

Cr. Aitken admitted making the statement, but it referred to the previous year when the union received £2B.

Mr Wallis asked if it was the Sub-Union that was the bugbear. It had taken the Sub-Union 24 years to gather its money, and there had been nothing speht on any grounds. The gate takings at Gore last year amount to over £3OO. The Sub-Union was quite prepared to assist. All the money has ‘been spent on football. Because £5l was taken out of Mataura last year it did not follow that the union should leave half of it.

Mr J. McAllister said the Sub-Union was the bugbear. They wanted a dressing-shed and a shower at Mat aura.

The Mayor said he wished it tp be distinctly understood that the council was not up against any of the sporting bodies. His idea was not to charge at all, but he thought that all the sporting bodies should get together and raise money to improve the grounds. Mr A. Thorn reminded the Mayor that a meeting had been held some two years ago, but nothing had ever been done. The Mayor stated that he was the means of holding it up then because just as they were going to move the fire brigade got in ahead and raised some £5OO or £6OO. Mr J. H. Clark considered that the chief trouble was that the grounds were too small. If they held a bazaar thp money raised

could be spent on the grounds. If the council could not increase the size of the grounds then he would say that the sporting bodies should get together and raise funds to secure grounds. In reply to a question the Mayor said that the council could not enter into an agreement, for a number of years with any particular sports body.

Mr J. McAllister moved that the meeting be adjourned for a fortnight to allow the different sports bodies to get together and discuss the matter. This was seconded by Mr J. H. Clark.

Cr. Ingram said the fences were all in bad repair at the grounds and the revenue was easily spent. The revenue from the proposed levy would not, do much. The only remedy was for the sporting bodies to meet and find out what they were going to do and how much it was going to cost. The sale of the reserve on the hill would not take them anywhere. The council would have to take in hand a town-plan-ning scheme, and when that was considered there would be more room for recreation. The proposal for a levy would have to stand unless the sporting bodies came with some alternative.

Some further discussion followed before the motion was put to the meeting and carried.

In the meantime the various sporting bodies will discuss the matter and a combined meeting will be held prior to again conferring with the council.