BEAUTY.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 22, 26 January 1924, Page 17

BEAUTY.

'/AN UNAPPRECIATED HERITAGE. cars pLuraiNG weeded. L (By H.E.V.) Captain Hobson fixed the site for ■Auckland in one of the most naturally beautiful spots in the world, and people rave about the Bay of Naples only because they have never seen the Hauiaki Gulf and burst into verse about Hurious viewß because they have not beheld the Auckland Isthmus from one of our vol"»nic hills. But we are doing little to ii iprove the gifts Nature has given us. In th. city we have not a single squire or decorated "place," no fne avenue or esplanade, and our beautiful Reaches are covered trith cottages to the water's edge. .light we not take an example from Nice? This town of 250,000 people was built in recent years on a beach in the south of France, and had nothing to; recommend it except its climate, which is similar to our own. They made a fine esplanade for several miles along the rough shingle beach, planted it with phoenix palms, made beautiful little gardens, in which there are hundreds of New Zealand cabbage trees, Australian gums, flax, etc., and built a fine pier. Nice has no manufactures and no shipping, but attracts 200,000 visitors annually. Monte Carlo, built on solid rock, without visible soil, is a most delightful place, decorated with fine terraces and gardens, planted with New Zealand and Australian trees and a variety of hardy palms. It may well be argued that we are too far from the large centres of population to do anything like this, but we might do something, especially when we have the generous assistance of nature, which tremendously reduces the labour necessary. As a matter of fact we have an idea that we are rather up-to-date, but there are hundreds of towns smaller than Auckland which are much better laid out. As an example Victoria, B.C. may be mentioned. This is a seaside town of 40,000 inhabitants, and every street is laid down- in concrete and planted on both sides with beautiful trees. T7,ere are many fine buildings overlook_i,j open spaces and public gardens, and the private gardens come down to the streets, and, generally speaking, have no fences. Very many other towns might be cited. In Auckland when the City Council spends fourteen thousand on the parks, etc., people complain, but it would pay us handsomely to make the annual expenditure forty thousand, as we should then attract a much larger number of visitors, all of whom would leave a certain amount of money behind. So far we are exceedingly slow to appreciate the commercial value of beauty, but in other countries it is very clearly realised that all possible adornment to a town is not only a joy to the residents but a valuable and profitable asset. Among other things we should drop the crazy fetish of a 66 foot road, which ??____. J?p.enßim ia ..cQiis_r.uct.-a_d.-_- perpetual burden on the taxpayer in the way of maintenance. We all know that some roads should be much wider than cs -feet, but on the other hand there are hundreds of residential streets in Auckland that will never carry any traffic, and the people are compelled to maintain them Then not half their width is ever used. The difficulty is easily overcome by k.eping the buildings a certain distance from the middle of the street, forming and planting a width of 33 feet, and giving the owners on either side the free use of IGA feet for garden purposes on condition that it may be resumed at any time without payment if it is required. By this method very much more beautiful and cheaper streets are obtained in residential areas. Let us hope that the esplanade to Orakei will soon be constructed and that it will be wide and well planted—not only with flower beds but with fine and suitable trees, preferably pohutukawas arid phoenix palms, both of which like the sea breezes. At the same time full consideration should be given to Mrs. Irwin's excellent idea of continuing a wide boulevard from Orakei round °the far side of Cornwall Park, Epsom, Mt. Albert Road down to Point Chevalier and back to the city. This is a most excellent idea and would provide a most glorious circular drive. It would not be possible to construct it at once, but surely provision should be made for it, as land will never be any cheaper, and it is certainly time that some definite plan should be formulated as to the future of Greater Auckland. We must also hope that the long-talked-of Devonport Esplanade will be built, and that it will be made very much wider and continued right round North Head to Cheltenham beach. This would make a delightful promenade, especially if a pier and up-to-date bathing accommodation, etc., were provided. Another way in which Auckland might be beautified is by a liberal extension of the Mayor's policy of decorating small corners, especially where there arc cross roads in tbe suburbs. This is now being done all over the world, and now is the time to do it here, before it becomes more difficult and costly. Of course the amalgamation- of the remaining local bodies with the city is essential to a really comprehensive, plan and policy, and if suburban residents could take a broad view and break down their parochial prejudices and let us all unite from the Waitemata to the Manukau, there is no reason why Auckland should not become one of the most prosperous and beautiful cities in the world.