ROAD BEAUTIFICATION

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20034, 5 September 1939, Page 15

ROAD BEAUTIFICATION

PLEA FOR EXTENSION INDIFFERENCE IN N.Z. ADDRESS TO ROTARY CLUB A plea for more attention to road beautification in New Zealand was made to ihe Gisborne Rotary Club at its weekly luncheon yesterday by Mr. G. T. Maunder, secretary of the Gisborne District Beautifying Association.

j Mr. Maunder said that there had been widespread interest in beautification, not only locally but in various parts of New Zealand. He stressed the necessity of having expert advice, as otherwise a good deal of the expenditure would be wasted. The subject, though appearing simple, was a complex and difficult one, when considering aspects of the type of planting to be done. Those Who had seen the transformation of the countryside in New Zealand realised the desirability of changing the present landscape of treeless roadsides into ones which would be beautiful. Roads should have belt* of natural beauty by planting trees and shrubs on roadsides where thought necessary. Even areas devoid of natural beauty could be made much mor e attractive without interfering with,traffic. 1 Indifference was one of the main causes o.f the lack of attention to roads in New Zealand. Spasmodic Attempts

Attempts at road beautification had been spasmodic and unorganised to a large extent, in New Zealand and successful results were greatly outnumbered by failures. The roads at present still retained something of their natural beauty, which, however, was fast disappearing. Two courses of action were possible, the preservation of existing beauty and" the extension of beautification. Much of the existing natural beauty was damaged by roading improvements, and that could not be avoided, tout attention could be given at those points by extending the beautification work. Much of the main highway to Rotorua, for instance, had been robbed of its beauty by the recent roading works, and Mr. Maunder considered that the preservation of the existing bush should be maintained as far as possible. Beyond the Roads Road beautification should not be confined to the narrow strip of road immediately on the roadside but should extend also to the surrounding hillsides. Much of the bush that was felled did not pay for the cost of felling, and many of the areas would go back to bush. After tracing- some of the pitfalls to be avoided in roadside beautification, mainly for the avoidance of accidents. Mr. Maunder suggested that road engineers should be authorised ‘to consult beautification experts for the purpose of improving the appearance of the roadsides. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Maunder, on the motion of Rotarian L. Grey Barton. Rotarian H. W. T. Buckley was in the chair.