NATIONAL HIGHWAYS

Evening Post, Issue 47, 23 August 1935, Page 7

NATIONAL HIGHWAYS

THE AESTHETIC SIDE

BEAUTIFICATION WORK

Pleasure at .the movement directed towards : xhe beautificatiori. of the national highways was expressed -by the president (Mr. W. .A.. O'Callaghan) in his report to the annual conference of. the North Island (New Zealand) Motor Union at New Plymouth today.

"Since the; destruction of the native forest," said Mr. O'Callaghan, "very little has .been, done in. the, direction of tre'&planting along our main' highways and until: recently nothing on organised lines has been attempted. Hundreds of miles of our roads are monotonously drab and lack.the beauty of the roads, for instance, of rural England. Perhaps the reason; for: the neglect of the aesthetic side of roading has been that hitherto it has been nobody's business. These things being so, it is pleasing to see that at'last some real effort is being made to beautify the national:highways. "The work is -progressing ' on the Great South Road from Auckland, and I noticed recently Uhat pohutukawas are being planted on the hills facing the. Hutt Road \from Wellington;.as far as Petohe. South: of, Auckland a considerable amount of .work has been carried out, particularly .in .the' improvement and planting of reserves along the Great South Road,-and last year a start was made on road treeplanting by planting an avenue of one hundred totaras at Takanini.. But perhaps the niost comprehensive work of this kind is that which has been car-: ried out during the last few years along,the 53 J» miles of road from Patea to Turakina,. to Waitotara County two and a quarter miles of the main- road have been planted with red gums, ash, and beeches. Along another three and a half miles many hundreds of cherries and flowering shrubs are showing signs of healthy growth and careful attention. .' In': y Wanganui . County avenues of poplars .have been planted in wet localities, elsewhere^ wattles, cherries, rhod'ddendrons, and 'flowering shrubs. The'movement has now spread to the. Patea and Rangitikei Counties with gratifying results. Throughout the whole area many odd corners and hillsides have been planted with a great variety, of trees and shrubs, including, in addition to those mentioned, tree ferns, pohutukawas, and oaks.

'"I am informed that the counties concerned propose to establish a nursery from 'which to draw supplies for further plantings and to make good wastage in the young plantations. Valuable help has been given by the city of Wanganui and the Wanganui Beautifying Society. Not long ago his Excellency, the Governor-General,-Lord Galway, planted on the roadside in "Waitotara County an English oak described as 'the first of a long lane of trees which is to form. a memorial avenue on the main highway between Auckland and Wellington.'"

• Mr. O'Callaghan said he thought motorists should let the people responsible for this magnificent work know how those who used the roads appreciated their practical public-spirited-ness. ..•'.■■