THE CITY BEAUTIFUL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1245, 29 September 1911, Page 7

THE CITY BEAUTIFUL.

LECTUKE BY ME. ELL. At tho Arts Club last night. Mr- H. G. Ell, M-P., lectured on "The City Beautiful." Mr. W. H. Field, M.P., presided. Mr. Ell alluded to a number of ways in which he said Wellington's surroundings could bo improved. He referred chiefly to the planting of trees and flowers. He spoke of Christchurch as an example, and. instanced Old Market Square—once a dumping ground for dejd animals and wasto tins, now one of tho Ijeauty spots of the city. The beautifying society there had received substantial donations (such as .£SOO and .£250), and tho City Council made an annual grant of from .£sn to j£7s to tho society. The City Council there worked in with the socicty with tho object of beautifying wasto areas, - and planting suburbau 'rdads- and reserves. Thb society took In hand areas, planted them, and when the trees were established handed tho area over to tho. council. Mr. Ell suggested -that"something of tho kind might bo done here. He said there were opportunities of making Wellington the most beautiful city in the' Southern Hemisphere. The possibilities were unique. The Tinakori hills could bo planted with trees which would thrive -there. Tho council wero making a mistake in having a high sea wall at Oriental Bay. as a wall would prevent tho scavenging of the beach, and tho refuse from vessels, and other stuff, would remain, whereas if there wero a sloping wall the rubbish . would be taken away. A somewhat similar mistako was being made at Seatoun. He urged tho planting of Wellington's suburban roads, mentioning the Queen's Drive, and the thoroughfares about Lyall Bay, Mr. Field endorsed all Mr. Ell had said, and . exhorted tho society to use every endeavour to prevent tho destruction of the few remaining patches of Native bush. There was, ho said, one scction of bush at Kaitoko which should certainly be preserved. I The president of the Arts Club (Mr. H. Eayward) said that ho could bear out what had been said by Mr. Ell regarding what had been done to beautify Christchurch, and he stated that tho beautifying section of tho club had decided lo take action here. ■ Tho late Beautifying Society of Wellington had not received much encouragement, it seemed, but tho present enthusiasts hoped lo receive assistance. from the City Council and looked forward to doing useful work. Mr. 11. Hamilton, curator of the Dominion Museum, pointed out that thero were considerable difficulties in beautifying the. surroundings of Wellington because of tho poor soil. In Christchurch vegetation grew luxuriantly.