PARLIAMENTARY GROUNDS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 29, 4 February 1913, Page 8

PARLIAMENTARY GROUNDS

1 ' " • -lo'TSI EDITOE. <' ' ; ' I 'Sir, — Amongst tha. many ,' .letters wnit-' ten. on so-caHed j public matters, ,I, I havo , looked ' " in" vain | for somo' mention, amongst your numerous' I correspondents' ■,on .'the' subject of the • altered 'grounds at Parliamontafy Buildings.. To .an im- • partial rtirid,-: possessing even crude ideas !on, symniet,rical 'sc'eriic design,.' tho _ sum* Hot»l '.of- tho -re-arrangement— ;aHlstio or, . monetary— appears ludicrous' in ' the efc,treme. • Personally, I"'do .not" profess ;to^bio ah, : exper.t on; landscapo • garden-" ingi but the- present- elongated flat.cul-, 'minating ■in. small .angular terrace, is be-, ■yohd my comprehension,' either -m- fithess ,or j harmony. I « have ■ been • led ,- to u.nder--]Stand .>thai' in' laying* out enclosed garl.dens 'or j parks, the, first, consideration isi oonformity," as - far r as , possible, \ with * the adjacent ~ cofttoiirs 'of tho ' country, and I not, in making, .radical changes ;in topo* graphj?/ n of " the' particular section . under .'operation,' which,' in'offeetj ohly tend' to ,mnr the unity' 6f 'tKo ! whySle. - , ' • '. 'In _pms»irtg ''from 'possible'" 1 generalities tp more speoifio matters, of detail; there arc, 'i to' 'my' mind, i. a; few '-j>oints .which, appoal to slher casual .observer.:— * (l)' Th.-* line of .levels, in • proximity to i tho old .entrance -,'in»Moleswqrtn-street' in apparently. '^below that of the '.fittblic .inclined Miighway. Possibly," tliis' is a "mutter,((orf r no^mo'ro special, import 'than 1 . as"» | receptacle ' for water during ' the winter | seasons. • /", v' * w'W "• v "(2)' The "«teps^ kading- ' from • the , terrace to' the flat (in -course' df construction) is at- 'tin 1 Oblique angle-Ayith- the lihe ot main ■ buildings, thus- being ' contrary ' to, all laws in 'architectural -arrahgemept.■(3.)'The BtnalJ. equilateral terTace ■ sur*. mounted by ,the statue. of, the ; late Hon. John, Ballanoe,-, calls for no-romark oither on : 'its pictiircsquo beauty or' charm.. In- oonolusion/'.one fully "realises that mite' 'exports© nowise "counts, ( pointedly exemplified in' 1 the "'many changes attd alterations ' ; sihee ~ first l fftitiatton, - in* stariced .in-the' bVeaking" for road nifctal of a ■ concrete , waif-- which must <have cost; over £150 a little whila ago $o reptaee into position. 'This and other ■items' which ; epiild ;bo : mopti6ned very possibly >*re woodless", to ' refor. to.' - > ¥ K6wßpßper * criticism on public questions'- is ■ oftdn ' -the' unbiased •' expressed opinipn from standp"oints,nnd ( as such is^ scarcely over ot , any avail. -'lii this instance,' l 'do not-antici-pate consideration. even, in. thought, ,mukh less in effect, "from .those in "authority ; nevertheless, I respectfully submit that iri 4 such- an expenditure t - as -under ' review, which is n6t parochial but nati6nal. - -outside- -prof^ssi^tial "experts, sKoula hayo .been ' advjsed, consulted, und -very possibly engaged;-*'!' am,-ctc.,' . ■ aECJUO. ANIMO ' "Wellington! 3rd ;,Febifu'ary.

Mr. J. r .T. Ramsay, . manager of < the Commonwealth ■ • ■ ■' Government; > .experimental farm at- Dalyj Slyer, Northern Territory,^ was in ".Sydney last' week. Describing' to" a press reporter \ the-pro-gress of the I ' farm, ,Mr. Ramsay said that; up, to 'the present there were 40 acres cleared,, of .'which 15 acres were ready for cultivation, whilethere were 13 employees;, engaged on the 'area. "The atittial 'work oh' 'the 'farm,-' 1 said' Mr. Ramsay, • "started in-- August last,- the men arriving on 29th 'July. It was the end of -July before there were any'horses or men'ohthe place. -The farm was 'then in- its' virgin state. ''The' stuff* we tackled in the' -first place was absolutely the ( piok of "i the country ' round' there, and -it/ was' very difficult Work 'clearing it/asnt'was all- jungle; -We" could- haVe' riiade a better show upon, the open,., or, .as we call ' it, forest country, but that' was'not^so prime in quality, as the jungle; and my idea was to get at the best I ' of the land as soon/as possible. The ohly things being cultivated- Of • to the v timel left the farm were^citrus , and stone , fruit- trees and pine-app ( lea. • These were, doing .remarkably Well. They seemed to go, on directly, and did' not" show any. set-back as the result of their being sent all- the way from.' the south, to, be 'transplanted! The best land, I think, is .on, the * bank of the , Daly * River ; "it ' is absolutely prime stuff — beautifal sandy loam— and once you get* it cleared It 'is . easy to plough. I am '^perfectly satisfied, and confident that. any tropical vegetation can be grown there." I 'think there are three things outstanding, that 6ught to do specially well; and which ought" to* be particularly cultivated. These are ■ tobacco, - citrus fruits, 'and lucerne." In proposing- the toast. of the Legion' of Frontiersmen at a social gathering of that body in Sydheyon 25th ult., Lieut. J.", Stanley Hughes', said : ''You will not occupy., this lonely, continent very muqh longer" without somebody, wanting- it. Someone will knock at th'e' door and try to'take'it. 'My idea is that the Legion is .the nucleus bf a national reserve. 1 We think the right idea is' to be ready arid equipped to fight for .our country. The Government is . " doing its best, but' it could do a lot more if it had'the will, of the. people" behind it, to get every, man up to "the' fighting age^from 16 years to 50 • years^-prepaared for 'any emergency. The Legion, "is* .doing its work in * England, Canada,- East Africa ' (where the Government has taken itunderits'wing), and'Vinl New '"Zealand (which has practically done the game)"!, Here;, it has received tnb recognition whatever. ,We want* to t make the Legion a register for all ex-service naval ami military- men. We ..want tbam-to-confeito-ufl-and *»y': 'We are. with you .in .forming i th« -Nar *iaaal -'Rfaejye of Ml -< fifiUfltry' ' J - '