THE CITY BEAUTIFUL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 490, 24 April 1909, Page 10

THE CITY BEAUTIFUL.

• Sir,—l coiislder'.Wat you havo dono good sorvico to tho city 'by yoiir articlo of yesterday, and" also Of {.some days previous. I think the suggestions of Dr. Newman aro Tery to nthp; purpose, and could easily bo carried- out? and in days to como tho. city would reap tho advantage of having tho sea to tho city, a thing of beauty .instead , of .bare barion hills, ¥ou romarfeed about geometrical patterns in gar■dening/. Tliat is ell right in flower beds, but thero is' iio geoihetrical pattern in tho way 1 the sh'fute 'are crrtpped 'by a man who seems i to A havO'ail ; eye for beauty like a dead fish. AVhat is'-greatly Wanting in Wellington is a healthy public spirit ;: which will take an, in-, terest in'tho beautifying'of the city; .the mint' of- such snirit is easily to bo seen.

Wellington is practically a city of alien traders, so' far as tho big houses aro concornod.' Look found the city at all the large warehouses; they are owned by persons whoso headquarters aro not in Wellington, but -who hare a, manager hero whose business is-to trade and make all tho-money "they;cant and send it to headquarters. Tho owners of these warehouses don't care a hang about Welling-, ton; they, aro here to make money : only.:. This I proved years ago at the time of our Exhibition. As president, I had to go round to get guarantees, etc., and was met by tho remark: "Oh, thofirm do not allow .nre'to, do anything like that, and I cannot afford it myself." Even tho few largo business houses tliat:may bo said to belong• to tho_ city aro not very much better in public spirit; certainly they would compare very, unfavourably with Auckland. Christehurch, or Dunedin/,lt comes, then, that we inu.st-,look to the . City Council to'mako the city f ; as beautiful as they can. They have already made- it the best sanitated in the Dominion; that it is the healthiest city is clearly shown by the Regis-trar-General's returns. Its main stjreets are the best paved; takingit. all round;":the water system is good, arid it ha 3 a good tram service. Now, what is. wanted is to make the city more pleasant to look at, ami incidentally- more " healthful,- by -planting trees wherever they can. I also think that the Beautifying Society should get all the encouragement possible,., both from: the. City '. Council and the public, as they aro a body of gentlemen who give their time as a'piire lab-" our of love for the good of the city.—l, am, . . :. : ::. SAMUEL BROWN. ~: .April; .17.: N -^ ; ' ; :. : : :^- ; : ... .;:;:;•:.;. .;.,