MONICA PARK.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 936, 5 December 1933, Page 5

MONICA PARK.

Suggested Purchase by City Council. ' CONSIDERATION GIVEN. A further endeavour is to be made by the City Council to acquire Monica Park for the city. Reporting last evening the Reserves Committee stated that it had been advised that there was reason to believe that if the council were able to provide the sum of £SOOO towards the purchase of Monica Park, the balance of the amount required to secure the park for the city could be raised by an art union. The committee recommended that it be referred to the Finance Committee with a request that it endeavour to obtain the amount of £SOOO referred to. Councillor W. Hayward, in supporting the committee’s recommendation, said that Monica Park would be an ideal site for the exhibition which it was proposed to hold in Christchurch in 1936-37. He suggested that the Finance Committee might take that possibility into consideration. Councillor J. S. Barnett expressed his opposition to the proposal that money for the purchase of Monica Park should be raised bv means of an art union. The Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan. M.P.) said he thought the recommendation was too definite. He suggested that the recommendation be altered to refer the question to the Finance Committee for consideration. '‘Splendid Asset For City.” Council T. 11. Butterfield, chairman of the Reserves Committee, said that the adoption of the Mayor’s suggestion would mean that the question would be side-tracked. lie said that Monica Park had the best oval in New Zealand and could be made into a splendid asset for the city. It was available to the council for only a third of its value. lie hoped the Finance Coro-

mittee would not turn down the proposition. Councillor E. H. Andrews moved as an amendment that the words after “committee” be struck out and the words “for consideration’’ substituted. He said he could not see any possibility of the council at present raising the sum of £SOOO to buy a park. The amendment was seconded by Councillor M. E. Lyons, who said he was in favour of the fullest investigation of the whole proposal. He thought it might be a case where local legislation should be passed enabling the council to acquire the area on terms More sports grounds were necessary and he considered that the committee should endeavour to secure Monica Park at what appeared to be a very cheap price. Councillor Butterfield agreed to the amendment, which was carried. Councillor Barnett dissenting.