TREE-PLANTING IN THE CITY.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10777, 3 October 1900, Page 3

TREE-PLANTING IN THE CITY.

THE eOJTJM BELT.

THE TREES TO BE PUT DOWN" AT

TEEB FOOTPATH,

'M a meeting of the Committee of th« Beautifying AssodatAon yesterday afternoon, Mr Beswick spoke on the subject of the planting of tlie South belt. They had done afl tiwy coald to .get the pSanting carried out, but had no tenders. Mr Nairn ihad advised that tie planting should 1 not be done this year, bat should be taken up in the aufcnmn. It had been staged in an interview ttha* the failure of the planting was due to t&e position taken up by the Sydenham and City Councils. This was not co, and it was only light that it should be so understood!, because fcae Sydeniham Council might wiAbdraw. the consent they ihad given. Dr. Irving, wiro presided, stated that lie had received a letter from a member of the Sub-commjtbee —Mr Humphreys—who had stated that he dissented from the -way in which the trees were going to be planted, and (bad resigned (from tihe Sub-committee. Mr Humphreys said lie thought it would be qiiite good enough, for them to follow the example of the great cities of America and Europe. His contention was this that so far as the North and East belts were concerned, being residential thoroughfares, the planting of trees in the centre would not matter. But the South belt was a business thoroughfare, and) to cut it up into two narrow dhorougbfa-res would be a mistake. In the ofbies die had seen it generally acknowledged that the (placing of the trees on tire edge of the footpath waa the right thing. To put trees 14ft from the footpath -would Sβ sure to earn (for them the execration of all driving. Mr Cockayne fchoug&fc that if it was absurd to plant the trees in <ihe centre of the belt, they should do the right thing at whatever cost. His own opinion waa'that the trees should; be planted on the footpath. Mr. Beswick said the scheme proposed by Mr 80-wen -was a compromise, and! had been accepted by the fiydenfeam Borough Council and the City Council. If they were going to thTow the matter up now, it was difficult to say vnen they wouM be able to.get the planting done. They had got to deal with people -who were in authority, »nd could only do whet tihey wished. Mr Cockayne said the question was whether they should plant the trees in the centre of the road or leave the planting ! alone. He was quite of opinion that the latter course would be the best. Mr Jekyll was quite in accord with Mr Cockayne. He thought tfce Association should take some notice of the hacking of the : teees on the East Belt. Mr Barnett said that a special meeting j of the City Council had! been held at which it was decided to refuse to allow the Association to plant on the footpatih because the roots would damage the concrete channel- j ling. Captain Hutton moved, "That the SubCommittee appointed to supervise the planting of the South belt be discharged." Mr R. D. Thomas seconded the motion, which woe opposed by Mr W. Jones and Dr. Levinge. Mr Beswick suggested , that the Committee slhould rescind the resolution adopti ing the system of planting proposed by Mr Bowen, and laid before the Council. The motion was put and agreed to. Mr Barker moved, "That the resolution passed on 26th. June to plant the South Belt in the middle of the road* and uot on the footpath, be rescinded." Mr Humphreys seconded the motion, whicSi was agreed to -unanimously. On the motion of Dr. Levinge, seconded by Mr Cockayne, a Sub-Committee, consisting of Messrs Beswick, Humphreys, and Archer was appointed to undertake the question of planting, and to interview the Councils ac to tlifc planting of the trees on th « South Beit on the footpath. Ine Chairman said he Ihad been asked by several gentlemen living near the Hotel whether the Association would undertake the planting o f the wall recently erected, after the manner of the Mi 11 Island. Mr Cockayne said that it was a matter of very great difficulty to plant the stone ??\?m? h had had Tei 7 '« ard work with : the Mill Island, which Lad not vet been nrusbed. *

The Qebtquui said ttaifc he had; been-ap-proached by Mir Gapes ivrbh a view to eacloemg a trianyie near hhs (house. Mr Cockiyive moatioiwd. thai if ttoay plantod-some Sifoeri;vu oralis, t-heywxwiEd iiad them mast iuuKfaome trees. The Chairman said that l>e would pat it to Mr Gapes tbctt if he eireeted :i ck>g-pi»»f fence the Association "would consider iXvb laying out of the triangle referred to. A letter was received from the Resenras Committee stating thai fckey wtnild mee&o<a th« site of the old CSfcy Council yawt at 5 o-'cloejt to oaaf er-as to the* kiying out-oMhe site, and would be ghwi of4fce advice-.aftlw. Association. It was moved thai, a, Sttb-coumiiiiee, conof tbe Cltiirnuiii, Dr. Lovingtv ssai Mr Harmphreya, be appokited to confer with tho Heserves-Gwnißuttee. Mr Joeey said thai it would be too late tlias season to do motlx. He tiioagfat tbzt the CJity C/Ouncil •sheeikhbnaicb, ilte-sits tin»e feefc deep, scad ptrt a dog-prxx>f fence sound it. After thad; doao tien dm tion cooM tup a sdicme sfar planting, oto. But he hoped if ties Association had any yoke in the iSSy.HJg oat ifc d«snld not be done in the saono way tiiat the otißM-piirtions of tiie city had beeai deme. If this were carried out, then tfc<*-vi«tbra.-:h3dvcßily -to-nee one part of tboir w«rik: to see tire -whoic Hβ each work thai the Assocwtian- tui(tertexde tibaaia bare a. distioctiTe character of its-OTTii. UWmately, after some-disenssion, jfc Tsas resolTcd that Dr. Imng should attwad the meeting of tike Reserves Comntifctee. With respect to the planting of Paxi: tarrace, Dr. Levinge arid it had becrLtaolute in the season to do anything tfiris year. The raeetuig tken tenaiuated.