SUBURBAN EXPANSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18020, 20 February 1922, Page 8

SUBURBAN EXPANSION.

MANY CHANGES IN 17 YEARS

QUESTION OF BEAUTIFYING,

NEED FOR INDIVIDUAL CARE

I Hie rapid growth of the City of Auck land during the last 10 or 15 years if often commented upon by native's of th< city on returning here after a length) absence in other countries, creating th< impression that the permanent resident.' do not always realise tho distinct changes I which are steadily taking place. Aftei , a Tendence oi over 17 years in Atißlrnliii I Mr. F. 0. McDonnell, sou of Mr. P. McDonnell, of Mount Eden, is revisiting the land of his birth, and is impressed with tho change and improvement in tho city since he last saw it. "What impressed me most," said Mr. McDonnell, ''was tho altered appearance of the country beyond Mount lidcn. 1 rcmembor it as an area of many paddocks and few houses, but now its welt-laid-out streets and charming bungalows give it the appearance of a garden suburb." For tho most part, however, Mr. McDonnell thrfught that individual owners did not tako enough pride in beautifying their home surroundings, as their lawns and gardens showed signs of neglect. He contrasted Auckland suburbs with those of Sydney and Melbourne, where nature had not been s 0 generous. In those cities, ho' said, the average frontage of residential sections was much less than in Auckland, yet the people managed to surround r themselves with colour. In this city it was hard to believe, ho said, that tho majority of the occupants were not merely tonantsj no neglected did many of the properties appear. Ho thought that not enough was made of the natural beauties of Mount Eden. According to Mr. McDonnell, our concrete roads compared more than favourably with anything he had seen in the cities of Australia, while the new wharves which have replaced the old wooden structures that he remembered seemed to be quite the best in Australasia. "But your tramways," he said, "appear to be run with no regard for the safety of the public. In Sydney passengers are treated with oourtesy by the tramway officers, who are ever willing to study the comfort of passengers and readily "assist women and children. But in Auckland I really don't know how the old people get along at all. My experience has been that the car is started before the passenger is safely on the platform, and only the agile have a reasonable chanco of escaping injury."