TREES PLANTED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 187, 25 August 1937, Page 4

TREES PLANTED

Hastings Commemorates The Coronation BEAUTIFYING THE TOWN "I hope that this ceremony wili mark the start of a definite campaign for the beautification of Hastings, remarked the Mayor of Hastings, Mr. G. A. Maddison, at the conclusjon ot the ceremony outside the Mumcipai Buildings, this morning, when a row , of weeping elins was planted to commemorate the coronation of King George VI. and Queen Elizabcth. iSeven trces were planted, each being donated by a different organisation. oi local body, The planting of each tree was carried ont by repreSentatives of the organisation by whom it was presented, the order of planting being balloted for. When. the trees are firmly established, it is proposed to mark each one with a small plaque, suitably inscribed. The following bodies took part in the planting, tho order in. which they are mentioned being that in. which the respective trees wero planted : Hastings Borough Council, Hastings Women' g Community Club, the Hastings Townswomen's Build, the Hastings branch of the Red Cross Association, the Hastings and District Progress League, the Hastings Chamber of Commerce, and tjie Hastings branch of the New Zegland Returned Soldiers' Association. l The weather kept fine for the planting ceremony, rain having fallen dnrincr the night, the soil was moist, which0 should give the trees a good start in their new surroundings. The organisations concerned were well represented and quite a large ga,thering of prominent niembers of the community assisted in shovelling in the earth as each tree was firmly embedded in the soil. «- There was also, of course, the inevitable crowd of small boys to watch the proceedings. After the ceremony tea was boiled in a "billy" in the Municipal Theatre building and served in picnic iashiou oa the pavement outside. "This ceremony is significant, not only because we are commemorating the accession of Their Majesties, but also because I feel we could well make this a stepping-stone from which to start in working co-operatively for the betterment of Hastings," said Mr. Maddison. "There is much that can be done. The town has no naturai features such as a river or a sea-sliore, • but .we have a good climate and fine soil, which can be made to compensate for ifcis. The main arterial entrances to th« town, in particular, needed improving. He also had in view the possibility of planting kowhais alofig the side of McLeod and Gardner's premises ia Avenue road east. An effort, he hoped, would be made early next year to plan a scheme of works for the year. Nothing much could be done in the present year, now that the suitable season had practically passed.