MODEL FOR DUNEDIN

Evening Star, Issue 25301, 9 October 1944, Page 2

MODEL FOR DUNEDIN

AMENITIES OF GANADIAN TOWN A young Dunedin airman ou leave in Canada visualises improvements for his own home town. In a letter home Hfi writes: ." Victoria is one of the cleanest and prettiest towns 1 have ever seen. It is slightly smaller thau Dunedin—7o,ooo odd—but so much brighter and smarter. The streets are wide and ciean,'and there are lawns and flowers everywhere; in fact, it is a garden city in the true sense of the word. On» thing that struck mo particularly was the practice of hanging baskets 'of flowering plants on the lamp posts. The baskets are just ordinary wire ones with a sheathing of metal inside to keep it) the moist earth. They hang two from a lamp post, and they are changed as the plants stop flowering. The flowers are always bright ones, and the effect is beautiful. In places where lamp posts are crowded by shop verandahs, only one basket is slung out on a bracket, but the effect is still good. This would look well round the Octagon and down to the Exchange. Put it up as a suggestion to the Amenities Society, or perhaps some wealthy citizen might do ft as a memorial or thanksgiving. I assure vou the effect is excellent, and if adopted would put Dunedin. a step ahead of the other capitals. ' "It is onlv when you get away and look around'a bit that you realise how much could be done more or less simply to beautify the town, given a city corporation and a town gardener' with vision and a bit of imagination-drains painted in bright colours, lamp posts, etc., enamelled bright green and white, washing and thorough cleaning of streets and footpaths, a decent garbage disposal system, police and guards in snappy uniforms—all white, in summer, even the ripping out of out-of-date conveniences and tumble-down buildings would be worth the cost. I should think, when" taking into consideration the awakening of real civic pride in a beautified city. Anyway, it is something to aim at after the" war is done."