“BUILD YOUR OWN BATHS”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 461, 17 September 1928, Page 11

“BUILD YOUR OWN BATHS”

REV. L. B. FLETCHER’S ADVICE CARRYING OF LOAN POLL URGED “You have no right to hand over to private enterprise what should belong to the people, and no right to give away even the smallest part of this splendid harbour of ours.” Speaking in the Prince Edward Theatre on Sunday evening, the Rev. Lionel B. Fletcher, urged Aucklanders to “build your own baths,” and to carry Wednesday’s poll for the building of a pool at Point Chevalier. He said that they all knew that the Churches of Auckland through their representatives on the Council of Christian Congregations, had taken a firm and decided stand against allowing private individuals or any company to build baths on the beaches of their beautiful harbour or coastline. This opposition was made by a body of men who had given considerable thought to the matter and who were actuated by the desire to seek the highest good for the people of their great city. A false step at this juncture would be very hard to retrace. Today was the day for deciding whether they should retain the right to control their own beaches or hand that control over to others. PROFIT FOR THE COUNCIL A certain section in the city was financially interested in seeing that the poll should be defeated, for then they imagined that the right to build the baths would be granted to the cabaret at Point Chevalier. Another section •put forward the argument that if a private company built the baths the people would be saved the expense, and yet would get the baths all the same. He pointed out that if it would pay

a private company to build the baths, it would certainly pay the City Council to build them, and then instead of being an expense to the people, they would become a revenue-producing concern, helping the council to meet the expenses on other things which at present were being run at a loss. Even as he had fought against the proposal to grant Dixieland the right to build baths at Point Chevalier, now he strongly urged all those who had a vote to vote in favour of the loan, and then baths owned and controlled by their own representatives would be built, and the city would get the advantage of the revenue for all time. Moreover then it would be the people who would have the deciding voice in the management of those baths, and to the people direct would that management be responsible. ATTITUDE OF CHRISTIAN CONGREGATIONS Opposed to baths being run by private enterprise, the Auckland Council of Christian Congregations will probably decide at its annual meeting, this evening, to support the Point Chevalier baths loan proposal. The baths question will appear on the agenda paper, and probably a short address on the principle which the council supports will be given. After the adoption of the annual report and balance-sheet, an address on tho “Kellogg Peace Pact and its probable effect on international politics” will be given by the Rev. W. G. Monckton, M.A.