CHILDERS ROAD RESERVE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3244, 14 June 1911, Page 2

CHILDERS ROAD RESERVE.

LAYING OUT THE GROUNDS.

HOW SHOULD THE WORK PROCEED ?

The manner in which the laying out of the. Childers’ Road reserve should be done formed the subject of a lengthy debate at the meeting of the Borough Council last night. „ _ The sub committee of the Council, which met on Tuesday, June 6th, reported. as follows on the matter :

“It was lesolved that this committee recommend to the Council that tlie present method. of doing the work on the Domain in accordance with the Engineer’s plans be discarded and that the present work be stopped and that the Engineer prepare specifications for levelling to peg as put in by the Committee, the ground to have a fall of one foot to both Disraeli Shileet and Roebuck Road, soil for topdressing to be preserved and the necessary two foot pipe drain be put in, the whole to be levelled and old l cottages removed, and that the work be let by contract. The Engineer was instructed to discontinue work on the ground meantime.”

Or. Darton took, exception to tho wording of the first paragraph of the report. He stated that the committee had not decided to discard the present plans for improving the ground. Or. Smith stated that all the committee had decided to do was to endeavor to have the work earned out with the -money available. Eventually the report was amended striking out the words “that the present method of doing the work on the domain in accordance with the Engineer’s plans be discarded.” Cr. Brown moved that the report as amended be adopted. Cr. Smith seconded the motion. Cr. Darton strongly opposed any departure from the original plans. These plans bad been unanimously approved of by the 'Council and by every sports body in Gisborne. The scheme to lower the ground 2ft was a vastly more expensive one than the one the Council had in hand. Tlie extra pipes alone under the new scheme would cost £350. Had councillors seen the water travelling down the drain that afternoon they would never have understood how any committee could have recommend2ft. pipe drain. If the new scheme were adopted it would prove infinitely more expensive. To stop the work in the meantime would mean that the ground would not be available this year. He opposed the adoption of tlie report, because the scheme had nothing to recommend it.

Cr. Smith said the Council had only a limited amount to expend on the ground, and the committee was of the opinion that the scheme as being carried out by the Engineer would far exceed the amount available. None of the committee were opposed to the advanced scheme, and if it could he shown that the Engineer’s plans for the preparation of the ground could be completed for the amount available they would 1 heartily support it. C’r. Pettie said lie considered that it was a grave mistake on the Council's part, and a hardship on the men employed, to depa/rt from jfche scheme which was in progress. :He considered that the drainage proposed in tho new scheme would prove inadequate. He could not support the adoption of the report. ,• Cr. Collins said there were originally two schemes proposed. t The first was to take soil from the roads and deposit it on the recreation ground, but the majority ..pf councillors were of opinion that this would prove too costly. The scheme as laid out by the Engineer when completed in its- entirety would cost £3OOO, and the Council realised the work could not he completed out of the loan money, as £IOOO was al] that was set aside for the reserve under the loan proposals.. The’ original scheme was too expensive, and the position was that there only remained £4OO with which to complete the whole ground. Cr, Sawyer considered that the question of deciding upon the manner in which the reserve was to be laid out should be deferred until the Engineer had been asked to furnish a revised sebeme. •

Cr. "Webb supported the adoption n f the report. The ’Council had only £4OO to work upon, and the committee’s object was to 'endeavor to have-the four grounds prepared 'and ready for play bv-next season.

The motion was then put and carried, Crs. Pettie and Darton voting jn the negative.