FOR SAKE OF THE CITY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 26, 31 January 1912, Page 6

FOR SAKE OF THE CITY.

,When "the fretful stir unprofitable and the fever of the world" make the mind temporarily weary of the turmoil ! and strife of, cities, one may go to the Hutt Valley in search of a few houre' rest and comfort, and there be informed, per painted rock, that a certain pill "can make all the 1 world Beem brighter. A correspondent complains that vandal hands have smudged the face of Nature in that valley, for rocka and other featureß are smeared with the advertising agent's ugly paint. Wo well know that the Petone Borough Council was a gross offender in the pact. Instead of helping Nature to put a cool green dressing on the gaping wound of th© Korokoro cutting, the .council invited various persons to put on a plaster of irritant paint proclaiming the merits of divers commodities. This waa an outrage serious enough to give the council a colonial notoriety. The complainant in the preeent case refers to spota more remote than that cliff which the council ignobly perverted into a hoarding, but unfortunately he does not state whether the offence against the decencies has been committed on public or' private land. The private owner is free to play vandal with the rocks- and trees on his own property if his own conscience and his disregard of other people's feelings permit him, but public property is supposed to be protected against soulless painters and bill-posters. The Police Offences Act prescribes a penalty up to £20 for the desecration of public pro* perty (vested in tho Crown or & local authority) by any person who "paints, carves, or otherwise affixes or displays any letters, words, figures, or device for advertising or other purposes," unless permission for the act of disfigurement has been formally granted. We are not yet sure about the position in the Hutt Valley, but wo di> know that advertising signs have been put on rocks and other natural features flanking the Queen's Drive, and sonle of the paint and paper has been thrust upon, public property. We do not remember any prosecutions for this 1 offence in the Wellington courts. We suspect that the authorities (local and general) are inclined to be too tolerant in this matter. *; As specially selected representatives of tho people, members of local bodies are expected to give a lead to tho public in m'ovemente to add Leauty to the appearance of a city and its euiroundings. We have had to complain more than once that tho Wellington City Council has not set a very helpful example. A few months ago it was necessary to remind the council that it was not desirable to crown a. pretty knoll of the Botanical Gardens with a stable. We have noticed, too, that more than one councillor yearns to hack away the little oasis of greenery fronting th© Fir© Brigade Station. Quite apart from refreshing the eye in a quarter of etucco and sombre wood, the shrubs and young trees help to arrest the vagrant dust. Moreover, the plantation is in a broad highway, and cannot seriously be charged with impeding traffic. We are glad that the City Engineer stands firmly for these iittlo clumps of greenery wherever a corner or other suitable spot can be found for them. Older cities of the world are more and more recognising the utility of these pretty dust-guards. We have blamed th© council for apathy or shortsightedness on occasions, but we remember the council's virtues as well as its faults. We can praieo it for its willingness to co-operate with school committee* in altering the gaol-yard appearance of some of the school grounds. The council has also wisely authorised the chief gardener to plant tho drab, 6carred quarry-face which frowns dourly on Oriental Bay. Many naked cuttings on tho hacked hillsides call pili- \ fully for similar kindly treatment. Wo trust that the council wijl push ou zeatoujfy ytlik thk SPA ftfMtyt Mftjro

stimulate private people to try to brighten th© clay banks and terraces about their homes. In Wellington one may eadly see row upon row of houses where nobody has bothered to put in a flower seed or set a slip of geranium. Tho hardy nasturtium can strongly establish itself on any bank that is not too steep, and it has a wealth of greenery and flower to delight the eyes of all who pass by. It would cost no enormous amount of money and time to mak© Wellington a city beautiful.