The Evening Star TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1916.

Evening Star, Issue 16050, 29 February 1916, Page 4

The Evening Star TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1916.

The local municipal authorities—those wise men who go on The Parish Pump, from bitinder to blunder with a cheerful optimism—generally receive so ( many more kicks than, ha’pence for their great works that it is really not surprising that when ;in. opportunity to name streets- comes to them they should grasp the chance to perpetuate their names in mud and dust. It has always been an odd fancy in men who sit in council around the parish pump, and it need not bo permitted to stir up civic indignation. To adapt the wisdom of Carlyle: “ Let (councillor-worship) flourish, “say we; and the more and more assiduous “chase of gilt farthings while guineas are “not yet forthcoming.” It is a pity, however, that the Dunedin City Council, in arranging to meet the apparent necessity of -altering the names of, streets in Hornington and Bay Town (recently amalgamated with the City), should have contrived characteristically to annoy many people. Tlie council’s schedule of new names, which will be submitted to an ordinary meeting of the council on the Bth March for confirmation as a special order, certainly shows a queer inconsistency in selection. A multitude of conflicting interests, influences, and even poetic preferences obviously affected the final choice, and led the selectors into the old rut of ridicule. Kings, poets, and philosophers have been slighted, familiar landmarks ignored, heroes remembered, historic war names perpetuated,- and obscure “ parish pumpers” exalted to the height at least of street sign posts. Bub even where the selectors were eager to perpeutate prominent battlegrounds and notable men in the great war, they allocated obscure streets, thus making the compliment of a dubious character, and reserved prominent streets for obscure personages. Here and there the entertain : ng schedule discloses a limited respect for poets. Shakespeare, Byron, and Kipling appear to be favorites. Milton once was honored in a by-street in Mornington, but he lias had to give way to Byron. Which of the councillors has been reading ‘Don Juan’? It is interesting to note that King William has no admirers in tho council, although, strangely enough, lung’s crescent is to be renamed Orange crescent! The council actually remembered that a great war is on, but they did not generously exploit its scope for a wide and excellent choice of historic names. Tire-great Jel Li coo lias been relegated to an obscure street in Roslyn Ward, while tlie Main North road, which might have been imagined as a stretch of the North Sea—it is flooded occasionally—is to he named Green street. If there had been a humorist -at the parish pump he would have drawn liberally from the fine-sound-ing place-names of our Allies. What of gallant Russia, for example, or of vivacious France? Consider tlie intellectual exercise eager councillors could have got if the council had agreed to honor Russia by adopting such simple names as Pskof, Vitebsk, Vyatka, Soguslanvoskia, Przemysl, Hrubieszow, Skierniewise, and Tschienauow. Tho truth of the matter is that the council lack enterprising originality. Before finally adopting tlie absurd schedule the council should refer it back to a committee for comprehensive revision.