TREES ON STREETS.

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1777, 1 July 1926, Page 5

TREES ON STREETS.

Sir, —The following, which appeared in the correspondence column of an Auckland paper recently, is well worth noting in Te Awamutu: "I think it would be an eye-opener to the ratepayers of the city if some capable person would look into the total cost of the city tree planting and upkeep dating back about 35 years,- when Grey Street was planted with poplars that rooted up the footpaths, water-chan-nels and ratepayers' property. There is no doubt a place for trees, but busy streets should, not be lined with them. There are plenty of obstructions, both to traffic and lighting, without senselessly making more, but it goes on without counting expenses or the damage they will do, and as for consulting the ratepayer or the property owners in, the street —hot on your dreamy ■eyes. Civic squares are nothing to it. When the whole cost is taken into consideration, public and private, it would build a civic square every ten years. The trees are in many cases a menace to the safety of both foot and wheel 'traffic- It is safe to say they have been the cause of many accidents with loss of life and limb. In the fall the showers of leaves litter the footpaths and private property, choke the gratings and cause overflow water to scour the roads and do damage generally. Overhead it is a continual prune and, trim to keep them clear of telephone and.power lines. I am told that there is some live miles of tree planting at present on the programme. The money and men would be better employed planting power poles where people would not bump into them at night. -There are spots in the city where trees could be planted, such as squares, junctions and odd places that are never likely to be in the way of traffic, and the city would be all the betetr for it. But I' think the 1 time has come to stop a while and do a little considering about this tree-planting in the streets."—l am, etc., PRACTICAL.