HAGLEY PARK CONTROL.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 59, 16 April 1914, Page 3

HAGLEY PARK CONTROL.

SOME PLAIN TALK. ELECTING THE DOMAIN BOARD. DISCUSSION BY CITY COUNCIL. The . secretary of the Christehurch Domains Board notified the City Council last night that six members of the board (of whom the Mayor would ex-officio be one) would in future be appointed by the council.

It was stated that the present representatives of the council on the board were the Mayor, Crs W. H. Cooper and J. M'Cullough, and Messrs H. J. Beswick, G. Harper, and C. D. Morris. ; Cr Otley moved that the present representatives of the council be reelected.

Cr A. S. Taylor pointed out that the council's nominations would stand good for five years, with the exception of that of the Mayor. The council could pass a resolution that the members of the board representing the City Council should retire from the board, at the expiry of the term of each council. Voices: You can't.

Cr Taylor: You cannot bind them legally. You never know what the position will be in regard to the Domain. A different policy might be taken up at any time, and we don't want to wait five years for a fresh board to carry out the fresh ideas.

Cr Taylor added that he had nothing against the present members of the board, but he would like to see the appointments held over till proper, consideration could' be given the subject. • The. Mayor said that the next meeting of the council would.be held on the 27th, and the board must be elected this month. Messrs. Beswick, Morris, and Harper had each expressed a strong desire t to represent the city again, and he firmly believed that each of these gentlemen took as great an interest in the Domain as anyone possibly could. It was stated "that the Government had the appointment of three members in its hands. This brought Cr Burgoyne to his feet with a protest. He said he thought that the Government should not have representation unless it paid either a subsidy or so much per representative. The suggestion was received with approval, but also several cries of "No chance!" Cr Otley said that excellent work had been done by the council's representatives on the board. Christehurch owed a great deal to the gentlemen who had been on the board for the past five years. The City Council was elected to do the business of the city, and it would be.wrong for the council and the city to put only councillors on to other bodies such as the Domain Board. . Cr M 'Oullough said that he had been a member of the boar,d for two years, and he could say that they would find no men who had taken a keener interest in the Domains than the three gentlemen mentioned by the Mayor. Personally, he was quite prepared to stand again, but he would not feel hurt if someone else wanted the seat.

Cr Taylor suggested that some regard should be paid to the sports bodies using the.Domain. The board had done excellent work, but sports, such as football and hockey, were poorly.represented, and had been for some time past. The council might procure the nomination of Mr Mason, of the Rugby Union, or some representative cricketer or tennis player. The council might also make representations to the Government as to the members the Government might appoint. '•■ Cr Cooper said that the board had given due consideration to every application .made to it by sports clubs. He cared not whether Mr Mason, or MiBrown, or Mr Jones came on to the board —they would do no better than the present board in their treatment of sports bodies. Cr Sorensen supported the re-election of the present board. The Government, he said, might be approached to appoint representatives of the sports interested. Cr Williams said that he did not see how the council could drop any of the pld members who had done so much excellent work.. The Government might resent the council attempting to dictate to it as to the members it should appoint. i The Mayor said that the new Domains Board would have rating powers. If it rated up to its maximum there would be seventeen members —a body as large as the City Council. He iiinderstood that the intention was to strike about half the rate, to raise about £1250.

I Cr Cooper: All the members do not [intend that. The Mayor said that he understooH ■that most* of the members were in favour of the half rate, which would ;bring the board down to about ten members. The present board did not show to advantage with the public, because when it came into office there were large tracts of ground quite unfit to play on, and the board had no money to improve these tracts. They actually put some of the ground into potatoes in order to raise some money to carry out improvements. The board was spending money trying to level the ground up and make it fit for play. The sports bodies had not been badly treated.

Cr M'Cullough said that the board charged £3 for the sports grounds to fotball clubs, and 30/- per ground for ladies' hockey clubs. The Mayor added that the Wellington Council proposed to raise their charges from £ll to £22 this year. The sports clubs were dealt with very fairly here. Cr' Taylor: Are you going to abolish the sheep next year? The Mayor: We get £250 a year for the sheep, and we can't do without that revenue.

Cr Cooper: We get £6OO a year for both the parks. If we did not have the sheep we would have to spend hundreds a year cutting the grass.

Cr Otley: Get a few horses. The motion re-appointing the old members was carried without dissent.