RECREATION AREAS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 83, 5 October 1938, Page 12

RECREATION AREAS

(To tne editor,?

Sir,—Do the Mayor of Lower Hutt and the councillors realise that the Government is covering the lovely Hutt Valley with hundreds of houses, without making proper provision for play areas or open spaces -sufficient to meet the demands of a fast-growing population? Have the town-planners no foresight? Surely it must be obvious to any one that the area set aside for open spaces in the Hutt Valley is not enough for the future- With the 40-hour week the young people must have more open space for their leisure hours. A nation cramped up with no space to play games must surely deteriorate. Let anyone visit the play areas y on a Saturday afternoon, take football, cricket, golf, or any game and see how much room there is. I should say, at the present time, at a rough estimate, taking from Petpne beach to Naenae Lane, that there is a shortage of between 400-500 acres. This is basing the ealculatibtron' modern town-planning;; lines.

Another -thing anyone from abroad must notice is the lack of trees on the roadside and on reserves. Almost any sort of tree will-thrive in this beautiful valley. So why not grow them and they would at least help to hide the unsightly overhead cables and wood poles. The Hutt has been called the garden suburb of New Zealand; is it? ■■ . , : ■ .■>■ ; '

It might be too late now to acquire sufficient land for play area?,, but land is still available on the outskirts of the borough.'—l am, etc.,

SPACE