WAYSIDE LAWNS

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 25013, 23 October 1946, Page 2

WAYSIDE LAWNS

Sir, —Following considerable rancorous exchanges in the letters column, “The Press” has lent some of its influential leader space to the controversy between horse-lovers and lawnlovers. Unfortunately, “The Presf” is on the wrong side; however the editor may camouflage it under the guise of “aesthetics,” he is a champion of the infernal lawn-mowing machine. Myself, boots and all, I take the side of the horse. It is no matter of mere aesthetics for a horse. If he is confined to bitumen or macadam his tendons swell and suffer and his foothold on smooth bitumen is so precarious that he perforce walks like a cat with hot feet. The grass verges of outer suburban streets are legal thoroughfare; and the horse deserves the ease they give.—Yours, etc., MATT. GRANT. October 21, 1946.

Sir,—Your leading article to-day will please thousands of readers. In soliciting support for the Papanui Memorial Tree-planting Committee, it was found that one of the most popular reasons given by the residents for wishing the trees was that it would impede the motorists in turning and protect the roadside lawns. These lawns can be .easily protected, and as a start, I ask that it be done with those streets that have memorial trees. Two of the streets recently planted by Papanui residents as a memorial, Dormer snd Perry streets, have nearly all the roadside in lawn. The method used at the Lower Hutt in quite a number of streets is to put in a false, shallow gutter on the roadway in the quieter streets; this is put about 16 feet from the footpath; but in most streets it is eight feet away. This defines the roadway for the motorist.— Yours, etc.. H. TILLMAN, Chairman, Papanui Tree-planting

Committee. October 21, 1946.