It is a pity that "Defence Creek" became somewhat heated in his reply to some notes in this column Tegarding the Public Recreation Ground, because, in endeavouring to show that the short article was a tissue of falsehoods, he was wrong under three of his own, four headings, He. says that' "the kindly gentleman" consisted of a group of 'Atty ratepayers, and that "the cats' bui Antrobus, H. Dent, A. Heard, and J. Whittal," who, with ixeen foresight, purchased a plot of ground, 34 mow {in extent, in the early sixties for the sum of Tls. 2,245, and then invited the public to subscribe to the cost of converting it into a recreation ground (Tis, 4,400). Admittedly, the developed area a tew years later Was sold for Tls. 49,000, and a fur ther 400 mow of waste Jand acquired fand laid out at a cost of Tls. 12,500, but the fact remains that the angina Ift piece (the gift of fou and not fifty), was the next thing 19 valueless in the land market of that time, "Defence Creek" says that the number of motor ears now parked fon the Recreation Ground is. about the same as the carriages in other days, That goes back at least twenty years, and if he was in Shanghai then he must know that there were not as many carriages in Shanghai as there are curs on the Recreation Ground on any average evening. Also there was not space on which to park them. The special area in front of the swimming bath did not exist, neither did the smaller cir uses by the Lawn Bowls Club and the Recreation Club "two by the latter), and, where there is a fairly broad road' (with cars parked the full Tength on either side) from the bath to the SRC, there was only Aisputable fact, The sole intention was to give to the feelings of very many people at the present time with regard to the Recreation Grow
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.