OFFICIAL RECEPTION TO MR. J. FOSTER FRASER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 626, 4 October 1909, Page 5

OFFICIAL RECEPTION TO MR. J. FOSTER FRASER.

• readingypur article under tie above heading-in .to-day's, Dominion;; I, was much struck.', by the -following remark-by Hr.'Luke M>IY,, ni his speech 'of • welcome ' to' : itr j' t oster-, t'raser :-rr ?: .-•■ '•.;-';• ,'. .'. ...',;'.' •:•• .' :.'. ~ "Of. the xi'ty bf-Weilingtoa,".'.!ie-c6ulci say','-•■'MjSJ.-P 0^ il"". 1 >Pirit. that-as' regards'publio utilities..'it-.,wasJsecond to. no city in, the

■-•It/wpnld interesting to-learn,'exactly what Mr.-.Luke-meant. by:such a sweeping>assertion' Does;.-ho...mean -.to suggest ;-i n : matters municipal civic, aud all matters pertainlU£ to, the public life; that VVeUingtoif is ■ the cit7.to>which example and '.guidance?, IVw , (and.' this .;is . the -onlydennitionvto.;rut.upon.it), 'it must ■■be patent to .-.the -most .casual ■■observer 'that:.Mr Luke SKS , i^ r 'J?.-- i e n ? r ?ni»,-.:qr,.fr6m.;a. desire *Hn#X f - if r^er ' f 1 ™ m & idea, of .Wei: lingtoni -I have only• been in WeUiriirttm■ a short tune, but.l-:have looked.in vainX:the institutions' which justify:, the New Zealand this the.'•Empire.Cifcr.v" •raie, as; an.instance, its .trams; the service itself "is..fairly-'good;; -.bat tKe->etiicles: the™ KjTM .anything tut comfbrt-able-and'.thevover-croydiiig permitted' on them bT ! ',the /l cpnjicil> disgusts; any orie-who hashad ■ tSe ;P le ?f?r e . : of •■■travelling: on: the. better-man-jeea ,ejrete»s;.of.' Europe.. .The noise' also' that' these. car ? totally..-.eii n ijji a ted.on..,iipito-date erstem's.: WeiUngton. BtreAts.are by., no,means of- the kind one>wpud.eipectto findin V'eity eeconFto none;m-:.the:world/^.being preperlv;,aca«nmodate; even , the•• comparativeh' email-amonnt ',of traffic in: .' Wellington': althonghrvthe^city'is-etiU/a young .one,' the' CitysCqnncil;, 'is •■already: faced: with the■ neee*. "?h £' •fJ^np.^tistreets, as -.instajice',' the' 6 e"?ot ; to-,tb n new^bniWmg.atlthe/corner of -Mercer .Streets. .The'public Buildi ings ; of; the city .can. .have :no claim to" archi-tectuVttl-,hcau&v:and:'ono',.can,hardly:imagine a 'more unsightly ..public building than the' Government- :Insuranco;;Officps,' -a:great -barn-- !'>■ °-strnctilre, ; more;closely■ rwembling a. prison than' a;.public ;building, .. and:.', tho Railway (Jmces,. althongli.'.not sink an eyesOTe,'; siirelv are'ifar: too .large, for- present needs; and-the Insurance;Oflices- also.; The.new Eublic.Trust ■Offioee .on r Lambton_Q«ay;i3,by. far the finest building in.the; roity,. but it .appears' to'be a , Whitehall, ;Lpndon,. and this probably explains its- architectural significance. ■: '■'. The '.public aiid'riiunicipal buildings,v'too, 'are built anywhere,,in. haphazard.fashion, and'arb usually,!.separate' from ;each• other,. and , this' gives fihejvisito'r, the idea: that'there "are none at-all., The-Town-Hall,.Library.-'Museutns,and' Art.Galleneslwhpreare.the yArt"Galleries?): together .the'.; Government • BnUdings should all have been built on: Lambtin Quay and .result:,would ; have, been one of the' finest thoioujthfares in'the-wprld,■ to be classed mth. (but. not : over); the, places • and WleTards •of'Europe,'and.'the streets'of "London ■• >; ■ •, ■;_Wellington,.people .will perhaps say'that the oft.-poßsossos/none ;.of ',the natural-Tesdurces whioh Up .ennbled other oorporntioiu to;erect , cdhes.!(rMeJi.:aM- aliaoet'' ideali that ■it -'la

>on reclaimed land, etc., etc, but this, while ■.excusing some things, docs not wholly justify tho straggling fashion in which the city has beon developed, . ■ .•■■.- Has Mr. Luke ever visited. Berlin, Brussels, :Paris, or liondwn,. to namo only a few'of the toany cities wtich can teach Wellington many :thinks "as regards, public utilities." If not, 'he should .do 'so Wore claiming that Wellington is , wcond to no city in the world, as such ■remarks' hot only insult tho intelligence of ;travellprs, but they serve also to delude, the ;stay-nt-home. New Zcalander, into the impre's-' sion_ that Wellington really is the first'city in the world, and your New Zealander'is presumptuous enorigh already.' ■When Mr. Foster Fraser publishes thn boot in, which \he will deal ,with- New Zealand, he .■will write of what he sees, not what he'is ,told'by the chairmen of-the meetings'he may attend.—l am, etc., . . ■ . : • ■■ ■...-.-.-. "■;.. 'fA BIRD OF PASSAGE.'?