PARKS AND RESERVES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13722, 11 April 1908, Page 4

PARKS AND RESERVES.

. Sir,—l am an old Auckland resident, but for the last 10 or 12 years have been travelling at Home, and in various countries. At different times I have met travelling Aucklanders, and have been rather surprised at remarks they have made regarding Auckland parks and reserves. For "instance, one said to me, "I never thought I should live to.be ashamed of being an Aucklander, but I am, when I see the way people in other places manage their' public reserves, and the way we either neglect or maltreat them. And they all spoke in the same vein. I say I was surprised, but since I have returned to Auckland, I am surprised no longer. Instead of finding it improved in these 12 years, I find that in the matter of parks, street planting, etc., it has done worse than stand still)— has retrograded. 1 have made a point of inspecting all the city reserves, and find each worse than the last, the culminating point being reached. I think, in the small triangle in Emily Place, the gift, I believe, of Dr. Hay. Instead of a., lew shady trees, judiciously, pruned so as not to impede the view, and flowering shrubs, etc., there is very little there beyond fan palms, and a low-growing shrub which is the reverse of ornamental, and only encumbers the ground; in fact, the imagination of whoever is responsible does not seem to run beyond fan palms "when in doubt, plant a fan palm, seems to be the idea. That day I saw several people, clerks, etc., having their lunch in that reserve; one or two were (trying to shelter from the sun under the fan palms", and one could hardly imagine a more ludicrous, if it were not pathetic, sight. r The reserve at the top of Wakefield-street is another saddening sight; it is. a good deal,less ornamental than it was 12 years ago. And so on, in every direction. Albert Park is a mere collection <»f palms spattered about indiscriminately, without any attempt at landscape gardening. Some .shrubs liavo been planted lately at the south-western side, but again, indiscriminately, without any regard to the ultimate height and size of. the plants. ; But the most saddening sight of all to me was the aspect of the oak trees round about and near the Domain cricket ground. They have been absolutely barbarously treated, and will, most probably, never recover their beauty, even if rescued at once from the destroying hand. I could write reams on the subject, but fear that you would not care to print them, so will have to content myself with asking you to vise your influence towards waking up the authorities to the sad fact that Auckland is becoming notorious for the lack of interest taken by her citizens in the management of heir■ reserves, etc.; and there is not another town in New Zealand which "does not put her to shame; Mount ItoskilL. W.Sutton.