CORRESPONDENCE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16942, 17 January 1923, Page 7

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE SEASIDE RESORTS. TO THT. EDITOR Sir, —As one who has just returned from a delightful holiday spent at New Brighton 1 am able to thoroughly endorse the opinions von express in vour leading article of Monday on the need for developing the city’s seaside resorts. Provided the weather Ls good Sumner and New Brighton are both ideal places for holiday-makers but when the weather oonditions are unsatisfactory they axe good places to keep away from unlesa one actually has his home #: either resort. As you say in your leailer these two resorts are at present residential and yet ought to be playgrounds for the city. That is the crux of the whole matter. bummer and New Brighton differ from similar English seaside resorts in that they do not. in my opinion, cater sufficiently for people who wish to spend a week or fortnight’s holiday by the sea They fail in that they aie content to receive one day visits from large numbers of the Christchurch pub lie, who 101 l about on the sands, bathe if the conditions are good, have after noon tea, and then return to the city tired in body but refreshed in mind after a pleasant day’s outing. For such visitors, and there are thousands of them every week during the summer, Sumner and New Brighton are splendidly situated. But that, in my opinion, is not enough. The day visitors do not leave very much money behind after their visits and the borough councils in consequence do not. come into possession of sufficient finance to enable them to embark on large schemes of improvements. Gala days are all very well in their way, but they occur only about once a year at each place, and immediately afterwards all the side fchows and stalls a.re cleared away and the beach is returned to its normal state. With memory of visits to several English seaside resorts fresh in my mind. I reflected during my sojourn in New Brighton on what might he done in catering for the entertainment of fhe public, if men of enterprise and vision took a hand in the matter. Why pot make New Brighton the Black pool of New Zealand ? ft could be achieved with the expenditure of money, not necessarily by the Borough Council, which cannot, perhaps. embnrK on speculative v enterprises, but by a private company directed by men of fiction. If sufficient land could not be purchased in a central position, the Borough Council could assist by leasing a portion of its huge reserve or alternatively allowing wart of the foreshore to be used for an amusement park. In either case the locaf authority should have some measure of control over the venture. ' An amusement park similar to the Wondoiland at the Christchurch Exhibition of 1906-07, with a variety of good vide shows, would. T feel sure, be a decided success and would bo a source of profit to the promoters. New Brighton is sufficient!'.’ handy to Christchurch to ensure a large number of visitors from the city each dav and night. An amusement park of this nature would, by’ attracting visitors from the city in forger numbers than at present, be. of considerable benefit to the tradespeople of New Brighton and. moreover, would encourage mere people to spend tin ■[> vacations at the place Thus boarding houses would spring into existence which would cater for visitors on an junoitious scale and nn era of progress ironic begin. On Gala night New Brighton was Crowded with visitors, all of whom appeared to be enjoying themselves thoroughly. Whv not have that crowd at New Brighton every week? It can l>o . accomplished by ortghtening up the place and providing ample diversion* for the public Meanwhile more band concerts should bo held at both Sum-

nor anti New Brighton. At present these usually take place on Sunday afternoons, but why not hold a few evening concerts, just to encourage the people of Christchurch to seek their diversion bv the sea. It is the evenings that need brightening up first Tam etc., PROG HESS.