Wellington City Reserves and Botanical Gardens.

Free Lance, Volume XVII, Issue 920, 1 March 1918, Page 29

Wellington City Reserves and Botanical Gardens.

Dear Free Lance, —Now that Mr. Glen has resigned, the opportunity of obtaining a person capable of looking after the Botanical Gardens and the City Rieserves should be taken advantage of. It is a farce to have a man called a ' 'Forester' ' for the sole purpose of looking after the small amount of plantations in the reserves, and as for the forest—where does that come in? Where is the area suitable for growing timber that requires a special man for the work ? A good man in charge of the Reserves and Gardens should have enough knowledge to manage the small amount of pine tree's that are on the Belt and Reservoir Reserve. The city wants a man who will do something to make the Botanical Gardens into more than a small Italian garden, which costs a considerable sum to< keep up and only lasts for a short time. The Botanical Gardens as they now appear are not worthy of the name. No attention has been paid to the cutting out of a large number of pine trees that are of no use and are certainly not ornamental; besides the ground is exhausted by their roots. More attention should be paid to the naming of the plants—not such things as are common. It is a pity: the Babanas are planted in an exposed locality; they should be put into a much more sheltered situation. Wellington City has a good Reserves Committee and, if guided by a man

competent to improve the Gardens and Reserves, the Committee would be wise in. placing the management of the whole in the hands of one man. A .competent man, thougk receiving/alarger salary than paid at present, would mean a- saving of money. It would be interesting to know the cost of the Botanical Grardens, the various planted reserves, the nurseries at Newtown Park, Kilbirnie, and the cost of planting at Lyall Bay.—Yours,; etc., Pattl Pry.

Mr. Walter Bentley, a tragedian well known to New Zealand theatregoers of ai quarter of a century ago and now a. teacher of elocution in Sydney, is to be given a benefit by the SydneyHighland Society. He has recently recovered from a severe illness.