SUNDAY TENNIS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20479, 4 December 1934, Page 13

SUNDAY TENNIS.

Ban Removed by City Council. PLAY ON RESERVES. Sunday tennis is to be permitted in parks under the control of the Christchurch City Council. This decision was reached on the motion of Councillor M. E. Lyons by the City Council last night by nine votes to seven. Councillor J. K. Archer, chairman of the By-laws and Finance Committee, declared that the council had surrendered its right to impose conditions for Sunday play, and the citizens now had the right to use the parks for all games at all times. He suggested that, if the council endeavoured to impose conditions, the citizens should defy it, as the council now had no remedy. The discussion was introduced when Councillor Lyons, in pursuance of notice, moved as follows: “That the letter written to the various tennis clubs dated December 2, 1933, ?ri^ rec V°" of the b y- ,aw s committee, relating- to the playing of tennis on the withdrawn" 5 and b arks on Sundays be The Legal Position. In proposing the motion, Councillor Lyons said that the law was quite definite on the subject. The Full Court, in what was known as the Miramar case, had held that a council could not legislate against Sunday games on purely moral and religious grounds. i S® c,slon stood, but the tennis clubs did not desire to act against the councils wishes. It resolved itself into a question of whether the council thought it extremely sinful that any voung person should play tennis on a bunday. There was no question that fhic regarding recreation on erabfv th ° ay had chan * ed considCouncilJor T. H. Butterfield seconded the motion. He said he had nothing against Sunday tennis on the tw C and ■* "as a matter that could wery well be left to the discretion of the clubs concerned. cilM m h g the legal Position, Councillor Archer suggested that if the passed a,! the citizens of Christchurch would have a perfect right to go into those parks and use those tennis courts on Sundays irrespective of whether they were members of clubs. That was the law The conned granted a year to year lease and if a club did not abide by the terms of its lease it could nated Llm the lease was Mayor’s Attitude. asked e M u ayor ; . Mr D - G - Sullivan, M.P., ashed why, if it was not a religious or heart, he continued, “to regard™ a or " kh ”-» If the moral or religious aspect were not involved. At present Sunday ten "l *“ a sort of class issue. Those pHv onV h T ° W I Courts were able to ? y .°? Sundays, but those not so fortunatdy situated were not able to tal favo , ur of ‘he Continendrews d - ? aSked Coun cillor T. An- “ No >” replied the Mayor. Example of England. J - W - Beanland said that any Sunda r£Cent trip he did not see any bunday games plaved in nark-s in England. He did see Sunday P pfay !n safiTthiL and he considered the only M Eng h la’n B d.' VaS * f °‘ W the « a ™P>e follows :° t A7es°% ) the Th ” ot ir was a 5 Councillors Butterfield, ' Thursten Mathison. Armstrong. Thacker. Lyons' Milhken and Hayward. Noes (7) ■ CounciHors Archer, Barnett, Howard I Andrlws dreWS - Bean,and a " d E. , A /‘t Councillor Archer had suggested that the citizens should defy the lf , 11 .imposed restrictions on Sunday play, it was decided, on the motion of the Mayor, that the question of d. awing up regulations be referred to a joint meeting of the By-laws and the Reserves Committees to present a report to the council, and that in the meantime the notice withdrawing the letter be held up.