FEW ATTRACTIONS

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20248, 17 July 1937, Page 8

FEW ATTRACTIONS

CHRISTCHURCH AMENITIES. ONLY GARDENS AND AVON. (by TelPjrrtmn —rr«*>s Association ! CHRISTCHURCH, Friday. “ Put it bluntly—Christchurch has only the Avon; all the other centres have natural advantages,” said Mr H. L. Darton, secretary of the Canterbury Horticultural Society, at a meeting of the society. Without its gardens, he said, Christchurch would be dead. Its recognised beauty was entirely due to man. “ People are too apt to take their gardens for granted,” said Mr Darton. During his 10 years’ connection with the society the standard of its shows had risen to a very high level—higher, indeed, than people realised. It was the visitors wtio appreciated the gardens in Christchurch. Many of them asked especially to be shown the beauty spots of the city, and both in conversation and in their letters they praised the gardens highly. This position, Mr Darton said, was in part caused by the efforts of Ids society, whose work was only now being recognised. People were shy in entering Hie competitions, and objected to judges criticising their gardens, the beauty of which they tended lo under-estimate. To obviate this difficulty a sub-committee had recoin mended to the general meeting that a man be employed to interview persons whose gardens merited entry in the society's competitions. Mr B. T. Toss will offered £5 if five others would give a similar amount for this purpose.