COUNCIL DECIDES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 177, 13 August 1937, Page 7

COUNCIL DECIDES

Mayor on "Malicious" Anonymoui Critics. CO-OPERATION SOUGHl* Tlie hedges surrouiiding Corn* tvall Park are to be removed. Tliis "was tlie unanimous decision of tlie Hastings Borough Council last niglit. Claiming that their removal would add greatly to the sttractivencss of the reserve, the Mayor, Mr G. A. Maddison, declared that at all times the couneil gave due eonsidera.tion to the removal of any tree. He roundly condemned anonymous and other criticism appearing in the correspondenee columns of the HeraldTribune to the effect tliat the

council went out of its way to cut down trees. Mr Maddison said tliat for every tree cut down during ihe past 16 years 1000 trees or shrubs liad been planted, At the outset Mr. Maddison said tliat tlie quostion oi' what .oaiglit be dono with the hodges surrounding Cornwall Park had been tindor consideration by the council for^ timo past but it was iiot nntil the meeting that flimlity hhd boen rcachod, and for the first time tlicre was a recomuiendation made to open couneil, In accordanee wltk that rocommondation of tho council in committee, he moved that the hedge in Cornwall Park along Robert strect should be renioved from the main entrance to the pathway lfeading into the park from Robert street and that a row of suitable Jlowering plants or shrubs should bo placed there ih its stead; and further, that the hedge iroai the Tomoana road entrance to the entrance gates in Cornwall road should be remoyed. Hedges Hidc Park's Beauty. •*We realise that ikis iu a now dc» pnrture but it is one that is in accord, and in keeping with up-to-date architocturul designing oi gardena," he said. "One kai only to go to Australia, or ta travol to other couutries, to realiso that in making this dcparture we aremtrely coming into line with them. It is possible to travel from 50 to 100 miles from Los Angelos without soeing a dividing fence between housea or farms, and in that distriet thcre aro tnsny cities. The . whole district is quite open, and the cfficct is remarkable. It is just one vasfc parkj with no obstructions to mar itii beauty." Mr. M&ddiaon said that at. present the roal beauty oi Cornwall Park. was hidden from view by the big hedges. . Wlien one driyos along the street froutagcs one. was not aware of the boauty of tho park. The removal of the hedgo, ko ielt sure, would be a great improvement to tho park and would o ffier groator inducoment to sco mere oi its undoubted beauties. •" StOck tresp&SSing on the reserve in tlie evont of hedges being removcd had beoa raised, but inquiriea had shown that there was no dnnger to bo autioi' pated from this soure.o. It was poesible that a littlo troublo might be espcrl* eacsd at iirst, but it would not bo for loug, from. children riding bieyeles through the park. A littlo educating would no doubt have the desired rosulb that the children would rcspoet the wishes of the couneil, If need for somo - restriotion wero made apparcnt, then no doubt it could bo arranged for.by ha\iug a vcry low t'oucs, not moro than throe fcct high hfc the vcry most, with a rosc creopor to .add further brightncss, Mr Maddison added. "Tlie cost of eutting the hedges is £76 a ycar," said Mr. Maddison. "By removing the hedges this sum would bo saved annually, and there would be .the iidded advantago of malcing Cornwall Park more attractive iu appearancc, " He pointed out that quite a number of people made a habit, in tho summer months, of having thoir lanch iu the opeu along tho maia drivc, and tho romoval of tho hodgea would allow them and others furtlior to cujoy theso gatherings undor tho shadc of beautitui floweriyg shrubs and trees. "AQtually Foll Down." Mr Maddison said that tlie staleuiL'nt was made frequently in oriticising the council, that it went out of its way to remove and cut down trees. FJe pointed out that the acacius in Cornwall Park, along) Tomoana road. had been cut down because they wero a monaco. Mr A, I. Rainbow i Qn'e actualW foll down. Coutinuing. Mr Maddison said that Ihe lato Mr \V. W. Adiun.s, whilo superintendcut of rcservcs, stropgly ro commendcd the remfival of the acacias because tbey wero rotten and a soureo of danger. They had been replaccd

considerable and he said, also havo to be niudo at Cornwall Park with the replacemcnt of the oaks, which wero vcry straggiy in appeaTance, atui somtthing moro suitable, a more pictures'que typc of tree, would havo to bo placecf there. "1 wunt to say that while 1 have been in office since 1921 not one treo htts been cut down in *any of our reserves or purks uuless thero was a very good reasou," he declnted, He then wciit on to say that recently it was necessary to t'ell at Windsor Park a very fine old tree that was was 60 to 6o years old, but it was rotten. Another. treo thero had actually fallen across the tent of a camper. Fortunately the camper and his party werq away at tho time. Thcre was also a beautifully-look-I ing, majestio pine in the samc park, ■ he ndded, but it must come down shortlyj otherwiso it migbfc come down of its own aceord in a strong wind. "There is ulways a good reason such as that for the cuttiug-down of any treo in our parks,'J he said, ^'and I want further to add tlmt, during the time I have been associated with this office, for every tree that lias been cut down not fewer than 1009 trees or shrubs have been planted, and 1 am not exqggerating when I say it.

Muoh PlAnting Sir.ee 1921, "As indicating the extent of the planting tliat has boen dono sinco 1921, 1 would remind those people who criticise us, and say that we go out of our way to cut down trees, that at that timo Cornwall Park was just a paddcck, with draught horsos graeiug it; tho stream was just a ditchj and tho monument was surroundod with barb-wiro entanglements,5' oontinued Mr Maddison, "Thon again, Windsor Park or lieatson Park as it was called, was practically. tniknown. It was visited by probably not more tliun half a dossen ratepayers a year, Npw it is said to be one of tho finest motorists' camp- ' ing-grouuds throughout tho Dominion. "Somo people might say that we should grow moro native trees, '• he continucd, "bul/I would point out to tliem that in Cornwall Park from 30 to 40 per cent. are native treea or shrubs and there are other nativo specimens at tho other parks and reserves. Then again, the superintendent of reserves, Mr J. G. C. MaekenaiQ, has at least 2000 woud cuttings ready for planting out next yoar, with hundreds of others foi lator planting." In secondiug the motion, Mr Rainbow said that it gnvo him great pleasuro to do so, for ho liad looked forward for'a number of years to aeeing the hedges at Cornwall Park removed, and had made representationa to this . effect over two years ago. "There is no dotibt that their removal wili bo boneficial to the park and add to its attractiveness and beauty," he said. Mr S. Ashcroft pointed out that it was proposed that suitable beautifioation should be dono to tho Fitzroy Avehue gateway to en&uro that there Would be no loss of dignity to the iniposing gateway at prescnt thero, Mr T, Falconer eommentcd that tho Mayor's statement indieated the ideas and ideals not only of himself but of all the councillors. He said that tho expressions of opinicns.of solne people in tlie Press made oiie licsitato and ask what qualifications thej' had to express such opinions and aacorti | wliother they had any greater qualifications. Counciilors Lovors of Treos. Hq pointed out that tho Mayor vfun a grcat lovor of boauty in uaturo uud oudeavuured to mako his own iiomo and_ surroundings a plfu'O of beaujky. SimilarJy with Mr Rainbow, chiurman of the reserves conimittqu. Other counoillors, too, took the snmo viewpoint. He instaneed. his own cuse as ono who. udmittedly took moro than ordinury iuterqst ^n horticulture; ho had on one oecasion won a silver cup tor the beat rcsidential garden in Hastings. "When wo eoiisider tlie matter irom this viewpoint we naturally havo avery reason to bo rcsontful whon those people publieally insinuato that our objective seems to bo to removo treea and shrubs,'' ho said. "It is tho endeavour of all tlie councillors to hring about greuter beauty in our town and to oncourago the planting of trees." Mr Falconer eoncluded by saying tliat the Mayor would havo tho ussuranoo of all the councillors that tho motion moved had boen recomnumdcd after full considoration of tho fuuts and that couucilloru' had in miud the beauty of the towu as a wholc. After expressing his pleasuro at the support accorded by tho councillors and at thoir assurance, Mr Maddison said that it was rather a pity that thbso people who wrote auonyniously critlcising the council should lack decorum, courtesy and truo citizensliip. "Anyone is welcome at all times to come to my room aud discuss with me any public matter," he said. "All tho timo I liuve been in office no oue has over approached me, or telephonod me, or said anything to mo by word .of piouth about cuttiug down those trees. "It is most urtfair that in obscurity they should maliciously, unacrupulously and most wrpngfully attack public tuen in such a manner,'' he