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The application was carefully considered by the Board and
view of the act ,that, the ground proposed to be surrendered
was situate in the midst of a thickly populated district, it was
thought desirable to secure it, if possible, as an open space, and
to accept the responsibility of its maintenance, subject to its
being laid out to the satisfaction of the Board prior to being
handed over. A resolution was passed accordingly expressing
the willingness of the Board to take over the ground on the
terms suggested, and consenting to affix the common seal of the
Board to any agreement or petition that might be necessary to
effectuate the arrangement.
Drafts of proposed agreements with the Vestry of Christchurch,
the Trustees of Marshall's Charity, and the Rector of
Christchurch, were received in due course and considered by the
Board. Rules and regulations for the governance of the recreation
ground when dedicated to the public were also drawn up and
embodied in the agreements. These were afterwards amalgamated
into one, and, together with the proposed rules and
regulations, were referred to a committee of the Board. On
consideration of the agreements many of the provisions were
found to be objectionable, and the Board declined to accept
them.
The matter was left in abeyance until January last, when,
on the motion of Mr. Geo. J. Newton, a deputation was
appointed to wait upon the Trustees of Marshall's Charity and
endeavour to come to some arrangement, such deputation consisting
of the Chairman, Mr. W. E. Hill, J.P., Mr. F. Baxter, Mr.
Henry J. Fry, and the proposer, Mr. Newton. The conference
took place at the offices of the Trustees in Newcomen Street,
Borough, the Rev. A. H. de Fontaine, Rector of Christchurch,
Mr. Neilson, Solicitor to the Trustees, Mr. Topham, Solicitor to
the Board, the undersigned and others being present. The draft
agreement and rules were read over and carefully considered
clause by clause, important concessions and modifications being
made and allowed by the Trustees in regard to several of the
matters which had been deemed objectionable, Thus modified,
the draft, subject to one or two minor alterations, was approved
provisionally and left in the hands of the Board Solicitor to
finally settle and arrange.
Subsequently Mr. Topham was able to report that all the
matters in dispute had been amicably settled and arrange an
that a petition for a faculty had been lodged with the ecclesiastical
authorities. It is hoped, therefore, that the arrangements
will shortly be carried out, and the ground dedicated to the use
of the public for the purposes of recreation.