BEAUTIFYING RANGITIKEI

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 188, 11 August 1939, Page 10

BEAUTIFYING RANGITIKEI

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE. (A. McK.) The question has been asked, “What has the Rangitikei Scenery ] Preservation and Tree-planting ] Society been doing?” There is an old | saying, “The principal part of every- < thing is the beginning.” Any fresh t undertaking by individual or collective ■ effort, to be successful, requires, in ■ its initial stages, a carefully thought- , out plan of action. j Sub-committees were set up to go | into every detail of the many sug- , gestions. and their recommendations < were laid before members’ meetings. ] A summary of the work covered so , far is as follows: Permission had to be obtained from < the Highways Board before a tree could be planted on or by roads. The County Council had to be ap- ; proached with a view to their assist- ] ing in fencing areas chosen for c beautifying purposes and many miles j of roads were inspected from every i point of view before their suitability | for planting was decided upon. ; Members had to be canvassed for, ; and many matters, too numerous to 1 particularise, had to be attended to, i before a start could be made to carry out the real object of the society. i The results so far are highly en- i couraging. The Highway Board Is j sympathetic in every way, and thanks i arc due to the County Council officials i for help toward fencing and other assistance. Membership has reached 150, 40 ; members being added Io the list al I tnc last committee meeting, the result ' of a member's efforts. The Young Farmers’ Club have expressed a wish to assist in doing the spade work. i A nursery has been started, where ' trees and shrubs will be taken care < of until ready to be planted. This is to be the Ruling Society, with Marton as its centre. Branches are under formation in Bulls, Hunterville and < Taihape. As one of the objects of the society is to interest the young people in trees and shrubs, it has been decided i to offer prizes for branchlets and dried specimens of leaf and twig of 1 our New Zealand flora to be exhibited at the next Marton Agricultural Show. Particulars will be given to intending exhibitors from our schools, of which wo hope there will be a large number. A fact not to be overlooked is the number of individual members who have chosen sites at corners and junctions and elsewhere to plant and care for at their own expense. The first official tree-planting will take place in the near future, when notice will be given through the press. Now is the planting season. The way is open to every person who cares to help, either by becoming a member or by donating native or exotic trees and shrubs to the society. Beautification is long overdue here : and elsewhere. Let all who can work together and try to make good the many shortcomings of the past.