TARANAKI GOVERNMENT GAZETTE. 57

G. F. Robinson, to whose energy in
looking after the food arrangements
our success in reaching as far as we did
is mainly due—making himself very
useful in trying to forward the work
and moreover carrying very heavy
loads himself to prevent stoppage of
work.

I have the honor to be, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
P. C. CHEAL.

T. Humphries, Esq.,
Chief Surveyor,
New Plymouth.

RESERVING LAND FOR RECREATION GROUND AND WATER SUPPLY.

New Plymouth, June 8, 1875.

SIR,—In looking for a suitable piece
of public land within a convenient dis-
tance from the town for the site of
grounds of a Lunatic Asylum, the fact
forced itself on my notice that in the
immediate vicinity of the site I have
selected, and which I submit for your
approval—viz., Mount Herbert—that
the interest of the whole community
would be well consulted by making the
balance of the reserve in the vicinity,
by Ordinance of the Provincial Council,
an endowment for public recreation
grounds. The stream of water which
flows through the reserve might be
impounded and utilised for the orna-
mentation of the grounds, for watering
the streets of New Plymouth, extin-
guishing fires, and providing for public
baths.

The land to which I refer lies be-
tween Carrington Road and the Race-
course, and consist of exchanged town
sections set apart for educational pur-
poses. The area of this land, including
roads which could be closed by Ordi-
nance, is about 35 acres. It has not
been a source of revenue to the
Educational Establishment, having only
averaged some £15 per year, and is
gradually deteriorating in value by the
growth of furze, which successive ten-
ants have failed to eradicate, or even
keep down.

The reason of this is that the land is
of inferior quality and very broken,
rendering it unsuitable for cultivation.
But it is admirably adapted by nature
for forming recreation grounds, as the
scenery is diversified, and winding
paths could be made at small costs, and
several small sheets of water made by
dams of an inexpensive character. Al-
though I propose to divert the purpose
of this reserve from education to other
public purposes, I do not think it would
be desirable to take it without giving
to the educational establishment either a
money compensation to compensate for
the rent lost (£15), or to give, by way
of exchange, other provincial lands of
equal value; but I think the oppor-
tunity should not be lost for securing
to the public of New Plymouth for all
time these grounds which are capable
of being made very beautiful for re-
creation purposes and the other public
services which I have named. The
land is situated less than half-a-mile
from the centre of the town, and if
suitable paths and foot-bridges were
made it would be at once used by a
large section of the public on holidays,
and by the various public organ-
izations on special occasions—such as
Templars' Fetes, Band of Hope, and
the various denominational schools for
the children's annual parties. Pro-
visions could be easily made for making
it accessible from various parts of the
town, such as from the Carrington
Road, from Liardet, Gover, and Wake-
field-streets. While these grounds
might be made use of at a small
cost to provide rational amusement to
the public, the water, while afford-
ing a means of beautifying the grounds,
could be utilised at a comparative small
cost to furnish a supply for watering
the streets, extinguishing fires, and
providing for public baths; or even
for supplying water for domestic pur-
poses for the present population; but
I propose to confine myself to the first-
named purposes as more within the
means of the provincial revenue. The
stream which flows through the reserve
takes the drainage of about three
hundred acres of land roughly estimated,
and therefore the annual rainfall, less
that lost by evaporation and other
causes, could be impounded and made
available for the purposes I have named.

Assuming that 6-10ths of our average
annual rain-fall could be collected and
impounded, this would give a total
quantity of 269,000,000 gallons for the
twelve months, or a daily supply of
about 360 gallons per head on the
present population of the town if the
whole of the water was impounded and
stored up for daily use. The level