CIVIC BEAUTY

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24603, 27 June 1945, Page 5

CIVIC BEAUTY

NEED FOR MORE STREET PLANTING

The need for civic ) beauty was stressed by 'Mr M. J. Barnett, Superintendent of Parks and Reserves for th£ Christchurch City Council, in an ad-, dress to the annual meetinr of the Canterbury Horticultural Society last evening. The original city of Christchurch had been developed along the lines of a plan made in England, said Mr Barnett, but when the suburbs outside the four belts grew they developed haphazardly, and the result hack been that many thousands of pounds had had to be spent in providing parks and reserves, and widening the streets in some suburbs. "Christchurch is not a garden city, but a city of gardens,” said Mr Barnett, who appealed to members of the society to do all they could to promote a love fox horticulture, for that would ensure' that persons took an interest in civic beautification. Visitors to the city commented on the stately trees more than anything else, but there was too little atte: on paid to xtreet planting, continued Mr Barnett. Trees on streets ha/ to be such varieties as would not grow to a height that would obstruct overaead wires, and a suitable tree had ot been found. In many places electrical wiring had been placed underground, he said, and it was to be hoped that the time would soon come when overhead wires in Christchurch would be abolished, and there would be more encouragement for street plantin'* Little provision had been made in the Government housing settlements for gardens and street planting, and many places where State houses wc - ’ erected were little but “hygienic wildernesses.’’ Mr Barnett said. Lately, however, the Housing Department had made garden space available round houses d room for frees to be planted on streets. The Burnside road anc the approaches to the tunnel road would, when completed, present worthy approaches to the city, said Mr Barnett,