CAROLINE BAY ASSOCIATION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 13 June 1924, Page 9

CAROLINE BAY ASSOCIATION.

ANNUAL MEETING. ■ M \NY IMPROVEMENTS contemplated.

The annual meeting of tho Caroline Bav Association was held in - pavilion last evening. Owing to tk bad weather there was onb a srmd attendance; ".over which -Mi '• Young presided. . f The annual report and balance sheet, as already published, were takeii read, and were adopted. . • The chairman said that the Assoc tion had opened the new hall with a dance, which had showed a piofat of about £22, which had been used m the purchase of crockery for the new hall The building of the sod wall, laying out of■the lawns, and erecting of the lamps, hacl taken up so mueh or their funds that they had been nnablo to carry out the improvements to the Children’s gymnasium, but he trusted that the incoming committee wouici look to that this year, lhe carnival had been a great success, and there had been no difficulty m getting helpers. The profit of £507 was very satisfactory, and though it had cost tho Association about sixpence , tor every shilling made, it had been well worth it. The Borough Council recognised that the Association was a body well worthy of consideration. He read a copy of a letter which he had., addressed to the Mayor, for the intormation of the Council, stating that, funds permitting, the Association contemplated the following improvements on the Bay in the near future Completion of” the kerbing and channelling on the west side of the drive from the bathing sheds to the south end of tho Bay ; additions to the children’s gymnasium ; erection ot sufficient lamp posts to complete the frontage, to the foot of the Benventie Cliffs; efectlon of rustic summer-houses on the lawdis be low the-cliffs; levelling off of thehurnniock of clay which at present obscured the view of the-Bay from the railway line. These improvements would absorb their'funds, but thev would suggest that other improvements were very necessary, and trusted that the Council would see its way cleqr.to cayry out, as far as funds would permit, the enlargement of the bathing facilities, ;especially fbr ladies; asphalting ; 6f the track botween the channelling from the Hall to tho south end of the Bay ; and alteration of the grade of the entrsKce' td beiieatF the viaduct.

Mr Hole said that a splendid re sppuse had been .made to the efforts of tfi% : Association in. connection..with Hie ca'fjiival, and/'th’eyii'could; nob''blit be , Will satisfied with-*!# 1 With -regard to the improvements, he would like to see tho children’s playing facilities placed first on the list, as the Bay Wad / above /a% a; playground for ,tho ’children. He’ : cohiplimented the chair-' man on his splendid work. Before vacating the chair, the president. .thanked the. members of tho,-copv., 'mitj&g' 1 'for: '• 'given Tiling in .cotmi^tibij,,witjCt4o..car iiTvaT; -particularly" mentioning - tho names of Messrs :Gv; S,~ firay and G. 'Triggs. The best thanks of the Association were also due to the many helpers, who had been of so much as sist.anco to the Association at that lime./ ■ . ■ ■:.'■■ ■ ■ - - ■ • ’ • . ELECTION OF OFFICERS. ' The following officers were elected for -the ensuing year,—President, Mr C. S. Young (re-elected); vice-presi-dents, Messrs G. S. : Cray; J. P. Newman, J. Hole, J. P. Murphy, and G. Triggs; committee, with power to add, Messrs C. G. Curtis, J. Hole, G. Triggs, G. R. Joyce, E. A.-Hamilton, F. S; Shrimpton, G. S. Cray; lion, auditor, Mr. §• P- Mason g It , was decided to thank the honorary auditori Mr S.' D. Mason, _ for hia work on behalf of the Association last year.;. /.. . , ' ■ GENERAL BUSINESS. Mr Triggs proposed ' that tho Association should advertise for an or ganiser, secretary, and' treasurer at a fixed salary. The chairman agreed that it would be better to: have art organiser, especially at carnival time, as the work lit connection with the carnival was too much for any private member, who was in business. - The suggestion was made a recoin mendation to the incoming committee. Mr Triggs proposed as a recommendation to the committee, that a Caroline .Bay Week should be held, for the purpose of raising money for improvements to the children’s play ing facilities. .Ho . suggested that every person, in Timaru and the 1 surrounding district should be asked to give one penny to the Association, and he ’was quite sure that £SO could easily be raised by this means. Mr Curtis said he wished to bring up the question of accommodation fci summer visitors. They all knew tho difficulties .people had during the last fc-iv years in getting accommodation during the holidays, and one hotel keeper had told him that during tho rush period ho had sent people - as far north as Winchester and as i.fai south as St. Andrews. He thought the Association might tako up' tho question of opening a bureau wherefrom information as to accommodation could bo obtained. Residents. willing to take boarders, and boarding-house? could be asked to state the number of people they could accommodate, and in that way perhaps another 1000 visitors could be for. If each of those spent only £5 in Timaru, that would amount to an extra £SOOO left in the town.

Mr Cray said that they had tried the scheme in the early days of the Association, but had met with a discouraging lack of response from hotels and boarding-houses. Mr Triggs said that a personal canvass of likely residents and boarding houses would probably have the desired effect. !

After some further discussion, ! hc president said it was really a mattei lor an organiser, and suggested .that it should be left in obeyancc until one could he appointed.It was agreed to recommend to the committee that priority should' he given to the improvements of the children's playing facilities, when the year’s programme of work was being made up, and that this should be followed by the completion of the electric light .standards, the completion, t.f kerbing and channelling of the main drive, and the removal of the mound of clay beside the railway line.