The Hutt News THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 1930. STREET NOMENCLATURE.

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 3, 12 June 1930, Page 7

The Hutt News THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 193 0. STREET NOMENCLATURE.

Sortie months ago the Hutt Borough Council in- its wisdom decided upon adopting a scheme under •which' the nomenclature of the streets, roads, crescents, and squares apparently all came under revision, A sub-ebmmittee brought down' for the, approval, or otherwise, of ihii 'Council', a' formidable list of changes• 'revision, absorbtion. which, in its opinion, would be desirable. After a certain amount of discussion, • and some few amendments ,to the . Comxnitteee's proposals., the schedule of alterations and amendments was agreed, to.. Later a deputation witK a grievance, to which poetic reference was made by our veteran contributor •"Senex," as to the-merits of the terms ''street" and "square," secured a re-adjustment- in the case in which they were.interested^ but otherwise, to the best of our knowledge and belief the amends, (or possibly "altered" would be the more applicable term) schedule of names still stands good. But judging fuom the number of letters we have received adversely commenting oii the Council's decision in this regard, the alterations do not, in a number of eases, meet, with public approval. Tins' of course is to be expected. When everyone is satisfied the millenmni will have definitely arrived, and that is not yet. Certain it is, however, that the volume of complaints as the uncalled for., and apparently senseless, alteration to oiiV- central thoroughfare; Main gfeeet or Road to High Street. Why' Hardly on common-sense grounds, that must bo confessed; for while it is, and always will be, a "Main" road or street, by no stretch of the imagination can it be called a '"High" street or road. And though the alteration of the name has, we. are informed, been officially in force for now ..quite a considerable time, we doubt whe-ther-anyone has yet been heard to call the central street of the town by what one of our friends -calls "its new silly fancy name:" But. the propriety or common-sense of the alterations is not at present the matter upon which we need dwell. Apparently it is not a matter in which the majority of the residents are greatly interested, again to quote a correspondent "so long as they leave our street alone." But a most important point does arise in the question of the publicity given to the Council's decision to alter street names. With so many alterations in street nomenclature the average '' man in the street is,:"like the world-famed coster of whom Chevalier told the whole earth, "He dunno where V are." Stuck up in one of our newly nanied streets by a motorist looking in. vain for a name plate a local resident of many years standing had recently to reply: •' This used to be so-and-so street, but I'm hanged jf I know what it is now.'' All soj^fc of 'queries have been, put both by correspondents, and personally by interested burgesses as to why the Council has not at least published a list of the alterations in the local paper. They; quote the instance of the recent alterations in street'names in Wellington City, of which hugely long lists were? advertised in both the City papers. It has been pointed out that the Council should not be allowed to make fancy alterations such as these without duly .and formally giving public notice,

and one of our friends has put the matter very plainly when he says:. "If ever there was a case where advertising is necessary it is this, and if ever there was a case in which the very fullest publicity can be given,, it is by the medium of''The Hutt News,' which literally does go to every house in the district, as you have conclusively proved to me by your weekly postage account" We cordially agree with our correspondent, and while we are assured that the required legal publicity as set out in the Act governing such matters has been already giyen, we confess to surprise that advantage has not been taken by the Council of obtaining the fullest possible publicity by the insertion,in our advertising columns of such notices as this, in which the public are vitally interested.