VICTORIA PARK.

Waipa Post, Volume VI, Issue 278, 6 January 1914, Page 3

VICTORIA PARK.

TO THE EDITOR. SIR,—Te Awamutu has many natural advantages to attract visitors and holiday seekers, not the least amongst these being its recreation grounds and park. Victoria Park, on account of its central position, is likely to remain the most popular recreation reserve, and as a visitor to the town, one cannot help regretting ’ the limited area of land attached *1 to this park. With the present population the park is all too . small and in the course of a lew years will prove almost useless for practical recreation purposes. At the present time there is an opportunity to purchase land adjoining the park, which, if secured, would make it a valuable present and future attraction to this town. This piece of land will no doubt be purchased and built on within the next five years and the present park would be depreciated in every way by having a number of houses abbutting on it. The land will r never be of less value than it is now, and I think the Town Board would be taking a wise and popular step by dealing with this matter at once. What I would suggest is that in the event of the Board not being in a position to buy the land outright now, they lease it with a purchasing clause for say, five years. At the end of this period I feel sure the residents would avail themselves of the opportunity to secure it. —I am, etc., Samuel Adams.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,— The truth is oftentimes not very welcome and evidence of. this* has been given locally during the last few days since you so very neatlj and very rightly said that Te Awamutu could boast many high jdeals without making proper effort to -y_“do” instead of only “talk.” Your statement has caused a good deal of criticism, and by some 1 your words are regarded as being uncalled for. That you were right cannot be contradicted. We have proved ourselves to be more likely to talk or to propose rather than to “ do,” or in other words are dreamers instead of workers. Take the last twelve months, and we soon see that a lot of talk and dreams of advancement have proved in reality to be only idle chatter. With a clang and a batter came the proposed' Te Awamutu Show. It was heralded on all sides for about two days. Everywhere we went we heard of the show —we knew we could, and what was more —we would. That lasted for about two days, and now the show (of the class we talked of) is evidently about as much a back number as is the Siege of Orakau. Then a few months ago came a Ratepayers’ Citizens’ and Beautifying Society which was going to work wonders. It was going to work

for real progress —none of your doubtful progress like we have * had—and was going to “ make ” Te Awamutu. But it too, went the way of all flesh and gave only one chance for us ratepayers, citizens, and beautifyers to show how much we really do know. And of all the “ lost hopes ” we must not forget the “ talk carnival.” . No! we did not want any second rate show like the Auckland Exhibition. Our’s was to be a real “talk carnival.” So it was —for twentyfour hours —and then we forgot ajl about it, and our never-to-be-forgotten “ talk carnival ” joined in with the many wasted ideals that had gone before it. And then there is lighting. We all say we wantlighting,butcommon. second rate coal gas is not good enough for Te Awamutu. Electricity, in keeping with everything else we possess, is the real live thing, and the very thing for us. And so it was, until the day of the poll. We talked electricity. It was electricity from morn till night, but now electricity has joined “talk carnival,” ratepayers’ , gossip shops, and shows of inT difference. No! the truth may not always be pleasant oif creditable, but it is time Te Awamutu realised the fact that it is more or less a “ gas-bag ” town and a town whose ideals want something more than talk behind them to bring them about. I don’t say that our ideals are too big for the town ; they are too big if they have only talk to support them. It has done me good to hear the criticism of your article, as my •eyes have been opened to the fact that in Te Awamutu «re sffne sf blind as won’t see, and are always ready to condemn anyone L who volunteers to speak the I have already expressed my willingness to support the show, the ratepayers’ society, or even the “ talk carnival,” and will do so once the promoters show >• that they will do a little more than have ideals. —I am, etc., a TO THE EDITOR. SIR, —Will you, and a few other townsmen, take a walk up Roach Street and see the state in which the footpaths have been left since the road contracts were suspended. If you do so, you will give your support to any complaints that may go to the Town

Board from the residents of that street. As one of those directly interested I fully anticipated that the town would .be in a mess while the road contracts were in hand, and I would not have complained had the work been pushed ahead so that a minimum of inconvenience should have been experienced but it is a disgrace to think that footpaths should be ploughed and then left untouched for two weeks. If the work had to be suspended then why was the path ploughed up on the eve of “downing tools ” ? and where are the authorities that such a state of affairs is allowed to exist? It seems as though they were engaged in their wonted occupation —slumbering ! —Yours, etc., Roach Street Resident.