The Face of the City

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25250, 31 July 1947, Page 6

The Face of the City

Many readerg will be grateful to 1 Mr T. H. Langford, the City Council’s public relations officer, as we are, for the statement in which he replies to a sub-leader in yesterday's issue. They will find in it, as we do, a useful account of what the advisory committee on civic beautification has done and is doing. It is the first such account, a . year after the committee was appointed; and we are glad to have drawn it. It is exactly what we hoped to do. It discloses exactly what we most wished—that the committee has been working steadily and taking broad and long views of its work. But it wgs not necessary for Mr Langford, who had so good a story to tell, to tell it as if he were trying to score off “The “ Press ” and trying rather unfairly. If he will take the time to read the article again, he may wonder’ why he thought it unlike our “ gen- “ erally constructive articles ”. We said that nothing had been heard of the committee, suggested that it should not be allowed to lose its way among petty projects, and suggested what the right way should be. Mr Langford says enough to show that this is the way it has been taking, and the way he approves. When Mr Langford decides that those who approve what he I approves and ask to be assured I that they are getting it need a poke I in the nose for being unconstructive, I he is a little impetuous. More, we did not say, “ for the second time ”, ' or the first, that the members of the ! committee “ succeed chiefly in petty “ exploits, etc., etc. ”, We said that, if such a committee goes the. wrong way to work, that is all the success it can have, and in such success it fails. This is constructive Warning: Mr Langford should not misconstrue it as a destructive charge or criticism. It does not matter whether the committee was appointed by the I council or nominated by the expansion and development committee and approved by the council. l It is a good committee-iMr Lang- { ford did not need to tell us that— i recognised by the council; and what ; the public needed, and has not had till now, is practical assurance that the council recognises the value of the instrument at its service and will make full use of it. As for assisting the committee and supporting it in its work, that' will be a pleasant duty; but

it will be possible to perform it only as and when, through Mr Langford or otherwise, its work is given publicity. That is what we asked for; and that, though it was over-peppered, is what we thank Mr Langford for.