WESTERN PARK PROGRESS

Taranaki Daily News, 29 August 1930, Page 3

WESTERN PARK PROGRESS

WORKS OF IMPROVEMENT YEAR’S OPERATIONS REVIEWED. ANNUAL .MEETING OF THE BOARD The Western Park Board held ita annual meeting in New Plymouth last evening. Mr. F. Hartnell presided over a fair attendance. The chairman reported that during the year the usual maintenance work had been done and the grounds were in good order. Pohutukawas had been planted at the foot of the bank on the south-western corner of the sportsground. The trees would help to protect the bank. A considerable improvement to the park had been made in the erection of a dressing shed and tool shed at a' cost of £4l ss. During the year the road up the hill would be improved and extended. The committee had voted £25 towards the road and the Returned Soldiers’ Association had agreed to subsidise the amount, making £SC available for the work.

Another improvement was that the croquet club had extended ite grounds. During the year the committee had granted the club a piece of ground at the northern corner of the park The club was spending £l5O on it and was making what was an untidy piece of ground into a beautiful area.- ■< The year had been started with a credit balance of £56 14s Id. Rents and donations received during the year had amounted to £136 6s 7a, plus borough subsidies £Bl ss, making a total of £274 5s Bd. The expenditure, including wages, amounted' to _£ls7 18s 9d, leaving a credit balance of £ll6 6s lid. UNWISE TO GO TOO EAST. The balance-sheet was a credit to tX secretary and the board, said Mr. T. McPhillips, in moving its adoption. While no doubt many improvements could still be made to the park, it would be foolish to go too fast until £2OO or £3OO was in liand. He whs sure the public would appreciate the care the board had taken of the park and would support the board if it asked for help in any big schenje. The erection of a small pavilion on the summit was urged by Mr J. S. S. Medley. It was far for people on the summit to take shelter Anywhere if rain came on. ■ x The matter had been considered by the committee, said the chairman, and it had been found that to erect-a pavilion worthy of the park would cost £2OO. The committee had considered there were too. many appeals to the public at the moment, and bad postponed the matter. Mr. Medley suggested that the nucleus .of a . fund . might be formed by donations. • The sum of £3 3s was subscribed in the room.

If the board could obtain a good road to the summit, said the chairman, have the liilfeide ploughed and graded and a pavilion on the summit, the park would be a very valuable acquisition to the town.

Mr. J. R. Sceats asked what would be the total cost of the road. The chairman replied that the borough en-o-ineer’s estimate was £l5O. The report and balance-sheet were adopted. The election of officers resulted:— President, Mr- F. Hartnell; secretary and treasurer, Mr. F. J. Hill; committee, Messrs. W. Morris, -J. Lobb, T. Tinney, T McPhillips, J. R. Sceats, R. Ellis, V. Elliot, D. Hull, J. S. S. Medley. W. Shepherd, L. H. Honeyfield, R. J.* Dea re, W. Besley and F. J. Hill. MONEY FOR THE ROAD. The expenditure on' the road of another £25 by the board was recommended to the committee, if a subsidy of £25 could be found for it. Mr. McPhillips recommended that out of that £5O the board should have the crown of the park ploughed and sown in the autumn. The cost of ploughing would be only £2 or £3. A well grassed summit would stand out from all parts' of the town. The New Plymouth League Cycle Club suggested that the cycle track at the park might be grassed. The club could arrange to find money for grassing from its sports meeting. It suggested that to provide., black earth the, club should cut more terraces out of the big hillside. t If the ground were lighted, said Mr. Sceats, and. evening sports meetings, held in the summer, people would flock to the park. " < The matter was deferred until the next meeting, to obtain further information. A donation of £2 2s was received from the Taranaki Automobile Association to assist with the re-forming of the roadway at the park. The assistance of the Returned SoJ- ’ diers’ Association was referred to ap-. ■ preciatively by Mr. Deare. A vote of thanks was passed to the association for sending men to the park to work.