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THE JUBILEE OVAL.
BICYCLE TRACK DISPUTE.
At the meeting of the Royal Agricul- I
turn! and Horticultural Society, held on
Wednesday, the finance and horse committees
reported that they had met the
Commissioner of Public Works and the
Superintendent of Public Buildings at the
Jubilee Oval on August 1 and inspected
the proposed alterations to the Jubilee
Oval. The committees met again on August
12, and considered an -amended plan of
alterations submitted by the Government,
and unanimously agreed to send the following
letter to the Commissioner of Public
Works on the subject, through the secretary
(Mr. J. Creswell) :
In further reply to your letter of August
5, enclosing amended plan of proposed alterations
to the Jubilee Oval, I have the honor,
by direction, to inform you that the same was
very carefully considered at a joint meeting of
the horse and finance committees, and that it was
unanimously decided to ask you to allow the
bicycle course xx remain as it is at present The
track itself, owing to its being on a rather sharp
incline,, will be found to be of great advantage to
the public and it will enable thousands
of town and country people to see the different
competitions, horse and cattle parades, &c-, who
otherwise (if the track were levelled as suggested)
would be unable to do so. Both committees were
strongly of. opinion that the interests of the public
and of the society will be "best served by this
course being adopted. I am directed to point out
that this society has expended in the erection of
grand stands the sum of 2000, which stands
they use on only six days in the year, the same
being placed at the disposal of the "Government for
the remainder of the year; further, that this
society has spent large sums of money on various
improvements in addition to the erection of the
stands. I would also ii-xmiid you that for the
past three years the society has voluntarily given
up £200 per annum of the grant, and bearing in
mind the great good this society is doing for
the country" in fostering and developing the improvement
of its stock and products, and being
in every way a national institution, my committee
would respectfully ask that the grounds be
allowed to remain as at present, they being of
opinion that for the purposes of the society and
convenience of tire public It would be difficult to
improve them. Under these circumstances my committee
earnestly hope that you will not disturb
the existing state of things.
On August 25 the appended reply was
received from the secretary to the Commissioner
of Public Works:
With further reference to the proposed alterations
to the Adelaide Jubilee Exhibition Oval,
and in acknowledgment of receipt of your letter
of the 17th inst., I am directed by the Commissioner
of Public Works to enquire whether he is
to infer from the letter under acknowledgment
that your society does not now desire the widen-
ing of the roadway near the machinery hall and
the enlargement of the public spaces at several
points in front of the stands.
The finance committee, through their secretary,
replied as follows on August 30: -
In reply to your letter of August 25, I have
the honor to inform you that lay committee have
again gone into the question of the proposed al-
iteration- to the Jubilee Oval, and I am now
directed to say that the interests of the public
and of the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural
Society will, in their opinion, be best conserved
by the Government granting the request contained
in my letter of the 17th inst., -viz., that the
asphalted track be left as it is and used by any
society for purposes of the show.
Mr. V. Rymill, chairman of the finance
committee, wished to mention for the information
of members of the council, that
the finance and horse committees met to
consider a suggestion for lengthening the
oval to the extent of 15 or 18 ft., by making
various alterations to the bicycle track.
The members of the committees came to the
conclusion that no alteration was necessary
for the benefit of the society. (Hear,
hear.) If' the Government left the track
as it was, at present that would suit their
purpose' in every way. Any alteration
would be a disadvantage. (Hear, hear.
The position was as had been indicated by
the letters read, and they hoped the Government
would leave matters as they were.
That was the feeling of the society, and the
interests of the general public would also
be best. «*-onse*rved by that course.
Sir Lancelot Stirling thought that the society
had asked the Government for more
space near the matmiriery hall. If seemed
to him that the last letter precluded them
from setting any more room there.
Mr. Rymill replied that the matter had
been carefully considered, and they had
come to the conclusion that if the track
were torn up it would give no more room
for the public to get to the stands, while it
would make the spot rather unsightly. Any
alteration would be more of a disadvantage
than a gain. (Hear, hear.)
, Mr. W. Gilbert, M.P., thought if they
were not careful they would place themselves
in a rather dangerous position. If
the Government began making alterations
they did not know where they would stop.
It would be better to put up with a little
inconvenience than to risk hurtful alterations.
(Hear, hear.) A good deal of
friction had been caused over the proposed
lengthening of the oval., _ It-had been said
by many people that they were helping the
Adelaide Oval. He could assure the Government
that there was nothing of the
sort contemplated. (Hear, hear.) They
looked solely to. their own interests, and
those of the general public. They had a
very limited space, and they wanted all the
possible ground available. He thought the
Government fully recognised that. (Hear,
hear.) I ' .
, Mr. Rymill said that some people had,
been insinuating that the. society's secretary
was endeavoring to work the Jubilee
Oval in the interests of the Adelaide Oval
Never during the time he had been a member
of the finance committee had the
secretary mentioned the Adelaide Oval
in any way. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Cres-
well, had never done the slightest art to
influence the committee in deciding what
should be done in regard to the Jubilee
Oval. (Hear hear.)
The Hon. W. B. Rounsevell was
pleased to hear Mr. Rymill's statement
He and Mr. Gilbert had inspected the oval,
and had considered the encroachment proposed.
H carried out "it would spoil the
bicycle track, which had cost a large sum
of money. It would be wrong
to sanction any alteration which would
prove inconvenient. They had not yet received
a reply to their last letter; but Governments
were always dilatory in regard
to «-<-a*respon<ience. They had, however,
the assurance that no action would be
taken towards destroying the track before
the'societv'was again consulted. The society
had spent enormous sums on the
grounds, and the interests it represented
were greater than those of any sports association.
This would impress itself upon
the Government, and they would leave
well alone." (Hear, hear.) "
Mr. H. C. H. Denton asked whether, if
the bicycle track were destroyed, the oval
would be big enough for footballers.
The Chairman We do not know anything
about such matters. They have
"nothing whatever to do with us. (Hear,
hear)
The report of the committees was
adopted.
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