Lake in Hagley Park.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7203, 11 February 1892, Page 2

Lake in Hagley Park.

[*hb suggestion to make a lake in Hagley ' Park deserves warm support. A shining iheet of water serpentining round the aollowb, under the handsome curving )anks, is the one thing wanting to complete the picturesqueness of the Park. In iact, these hollows are the weak point in She exquisite landscape which owes so much to the taste and foresight of the authorities of old Canterbury. By letting water over them we should substitute a Btrong leading feature for a positive drawback. Whether these hollows are quite healthy is another consideration which we will not enter upon at prasent. It ie enough that the addition to the wood and grass and sky of the landscape would make it perfect. The only two questions which make one pause are on the surface: Will the ground retain water sufficiently well to make a lake of the dimensions and depth required ? And where is the money to come from for the necessary works ? The latter question of course contains the master key of the situation. It can be answered by the simple statement of a fact, viz., that when a thing is popular with a large number of people there can be no difficult} in getting pecuniary tupport. The onlj difficulty iv such a case is to select one ol the many methods of appealing to thf popular pocket. The expense need not b« very great, for the water could bo suppliec mainly from the river by a single race cni through the public properly all the way The question then arises as to whether th< percolation, if any, would take more from the volume of water in the lake than th< river cfmld without too great a draii afford to supply. If the anßwer should bi unfavourable the matter must perform drop to the ground. It is an answer whicl a very brief professional examinatioi would furnish at a very small cost. If th answer should be favourable the expense o the necessary works need not delay th execution of the scheme. The water one obtained, there would be no difficulty ii getting from a thoroughly delightei public enough money for embellishment and conveniences. Who will move in th matter ?