BEAUTIFYING PLAN FOR ROTORUA STREETS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 18, 14 September 1931, Page 3

BEAUTIFYING PLAN FOR ROTORUA STREETS

EXPERT'S REPORT QUESTION OF TRANSPLANTING NATIVE TREES TO STREETS APPEAL FOR LESS CRITICISM The report which the landscape architect, Mr. F. Tschopp, has been preparing and which sets out recommendations for the laying-out and beautification of Rotorua, was laid before the Rotorua Borough Council at its meeting on Friday night and its proposals as they affect Fenton Street were briefly discussed. The opinion was expressed, however, that as councillors had not yet had time to assimilate the whole of the recommendations made by Mr. Tschopp consideration of the full report should be deferred until next meeting. When it was disclosed that the report recommended the planting of Fenton Street on the boulevard principle with two way traffic on the centre road and one way traffic on each of the flanking roads, Councillor Albert Smith expressed the opinion that this introduction of three way traffic eontained a considerable element of danger. He was strongly opposed to its introduction and considered that the Council would be very sorry if it adopted the principle.. The Mayor, Mr. T. Jackson, disagreed with Councillor Smith as to the danger of three-way traffic, He had s- this traffic arrangement in (gf •-•V.mnsic ^

opei«./ion in a nnmber of large Continental towns with much gi'eater populations than Rotorua was ever lilcely to reach, and it had worked very satisfactorily. Councillor Smith pointed out that the traffic was rigidly controlled in these towns, and that made all the difference. "No matter what sort of a road we have there are always some amateurs who ask fo trouble and get it," commented Cr. E. T. Johnson who expressed the opinion that the seheme for the planting of Fenton Street was the'best of the three which Mr. Tschopp had submitted. Planting of Trees With regard to the planting of native trees in the streets, Mr. Johnson expressed some doubts as to whether a man from another country, however high his qualifications, eould deal as satisfactorily with the selection and transplanting of New Zealand native flora as a local man with a practical acquaintance with native shrubs and trees. The Mayor stated that Mr. Tschopp had known a lot about New Zealand flora before he ever came to the country, but he still appreeiated Councillor Johnston's point that there were certain facts with regard to native trees which could only be known to men who had a lifelong association with them. The Reserves Committee would not he tied slavishly to the recommendations of the report, and if it was satisfied, after consultation with New Zealand experts, that certain trees were not suitable, others would be used. Councillor Smith expressed the opinion that if the type of trees so far selected were an indication of what were likely to be used, the Council was going to experience trouble. Referring to a recommendation from the Reserves Committee that Froude and Tryon Streets should be planted with specimen trees now available from the Kuirau domain, Councillor O. H. Coleman said that planting would have to be carried out at the present period otherwise the trees would lose a year's growth. Unemployed labo'ur could he used for the work and he did not think the Council could lose anything by having the work done. Unnecessary Suspiclon So far as Mr. Tschopp's qualifications were coneerned, Cr^ Coleman said, he thought a lot of unnecessary suspicion was being ventilated. The Council had agreed unanimously to his engagement and his qualifications were beyond question. Mr. Tschopp know what was needed for Rotorua and it was hard to understand why his recommendations were questioned, Councillor Coleman was proceeding to deal further with this criticism when Cr. Johnson rose to a point of order. The Council was diseussing the planting of certain types of trees he said. Councillor Smith: As far as I know this man was employed to give advice, not to plant trees. The Mayor: If I remember aright at last meeting there was some trenchant criticism as to Mr. Tschopp's being too much of an office man and not sufficiently practical. Now he is being practical you are criticising that.

Be Less Critical "I think that Mr. Tschopp is entirely on the right lines," said Cr. Coleman, "I have studied the plans and reports closely but I do not know enough about it to criticise. I appeal to councillors to be less critical. You are taking all the enthusiasm out of the man and he is an enthusiast." Councilolr Smith moved that no trees should be planted at present. In his opinion, if Mr. Tschopp proposed to transplant native trees straight out of the bush into the open street fifty per cent of them would die. Councillor Johnson seconded the motion and also expressed the opinion that men with a knowledge of local conditions should be consulted. Not Sufficient Time Councillor George Uhquhart said he supported the motion, but not for any

of the reasons given by the mover and seeonder. He gave his support because he considered that the Council had not had sufficient time to consider' the report. To-night was the first time he had seen the plan and he would Hke time to study it. So far as Councillor Smith's criticism regarding transplanting trees straight from the bush to the street was coneerned, he would see, if he Tad the report, that Mr. Tschopp recommended that the trees be transplanted first into a nursery where they would be hardened before being put in the streets. , A suggestion that a portion at the end of Whaka Road should be planted along the lines recommended by Mr. Tschopp as an experiment, was made by Councillor N. M. Keane. The Mayor said that the recommendation in the Reserves Committee's report that immediate steps be taken to procure specimen trees from the Mamaku bush for planting in Fenton Street, was misleading. It was Mr. Tschopp's intention that the trees should be first gradually hardened to street conditions. He suggested that this paragraph of the committee's report should be deleted and that the planting of Froude and Tryon Streets with orees from the Kuirau domain would give an idea of the progress they were likely to make. Kowhai and Totara Councillor Wackrow said that speaking purely as a layman, he had doubts about the successful transnlanting of hinau and rewarewa which Mr. Tschopp intended to use in Fenton Street. He though that kowhai and totara would stand the weather and the open conditions much better. After some further discussion, Cr. Smith finally withdrew his motion and substituted another deleting the following paragraph from the Reserves Committee's report. "That layout No. 3 as designed by Mr Tschopp be adopted as the scheme for the future planting of Fenton Street and that steps having been taken to procure specimen trees from the Mamaku bush, these should be planted in Fenton Street when procured." The paragraph reconunending that Froude and Tryon Street should be planted with trees from the Kuirau reserve was allowed to stand and in reply to a question by Councillor Coleman, the Mayor made it plain that the whole question of Mr. Tschopp's recommendations with regard to the layout of Fenton Street would be discussed at the next meeting of the Council, when the full report is considered.