Thames Star SATURDAY, NOV. 19, 1933. THE THAMES COAST.

Thames Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 20467, 19 November 1938, Page 2

Thames Star

SATURDAY, NOV. 19, 1933. THE THAMES COAST.

“With mane* towards none; with charity for all; with firmneta in the right, a* God give* us to see the right. I ’—Lincoln.

The suggestion made in yesterday’s “Thames Star” that a Coast Progress League lit Association should be formed, is one which calls for earnest consideration. The Coast at present suffers from the lack of ordinary amenities usually associated with holiday resorts. The various beaches, popular as they are, would attract' considerably larger numbers of outside motorists and campers if more provision was made for their needs. The day has gone past ivhen visitors to beaches are content to do without reasonable conveniences, and, naturally, the crowds gravitate to thoso places where some measure of attention has been paid to their comfort. If a live Association was formed, much improvement could be made at the local beaches. Adequate bathingshed accommodation, shower baths, conveniences and shelter - could bo erected, if suitable areas could be procured; at some beaches, tennis courts would prove an immense attraction. Funds could possibly be raised by beach sports, by dances and similar methods. With the coming of electricity to the Coast, the lot of the week-ender will be made easier so far as lighting and cooking is concerned, but it is the beaches themselves which need most attention. In several of the bays, shelter trees for shade are badly needed, and the planting of poliutukawas is a task presenting little difficulty. Tihe personnel of a Coast Improvement Association should consist of habitual Coast users, members of the County Council, the Chamber of Commerce, and business men. A comprehensive plan should be drawn up for a series of improvements extending over five years, and an estimate of the cost should be secured. Plans for the raising of funds would then be formulated and set in motion. Users of the Coast would be glad to contribute to such an object, and in time the district would possess a summer holiday resort second to none. It has often been stated in these columns that Thames has not yet realised the potentialities of the Coast as a holiday attraction. It would be the duty of the proposed Association to remedy this defect and make the people of the district really “Coast conscious.”