BEAUTIFYING ROTORUA

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 121, 14 January 1932, Page 6

BEAUTIFYING ROTORUA

mr. tschopp's plans X PUBLIC EXHIBITION OPENED BY MAYOR LAST EYENING A • COUNCIL'S PURPOSE EXPLAINED Keen interest in the work of beautifying the town of Rotorua was de- "" monstrated yesterday by a large number of enthusiasts who visited the exhibition of the plans prepared for the borough by the landseape architect, Mr F. Tschopp. The plans were displayed in an empty shop in Fenton Street and they covered the layout of the lake front, Fenton Street, the approach to Whaka rewarewa, the Kuirau Reserve and the Town Belt. The Mayor, Mr. T. Jackson, in briefly referring to the work which had been accomplished, explained tliat the proposals put before the public on the plans had. not yet been submitted to the Council, and it was not proposed definitely to adopt or approve of any particular plan. The preparation of the plans was the outcome of a decision on the part of the councih to avail itself of the Services of Mr. Tschopp and get comprehensive designs for the improvement of the borough reserves and for the treatment of the different classes of streets. He w'ished to thank all those who had, by their sympathy and financial support, made the preparation of the plans .possible. Mr. Tschopp was first engaged for a short period to draw up a report on the borough froxn the aesthetic point of view, said Mr. Jackson, but consideration of the report was deferred pending the preparation of the plans which would help to a better understanding of the position. After the first plan had been presented the council was not able to go farther in the matter owing to lack of funds. An appeal was made for help and the response justified the council in retaining Mr. Tschopp's services for a further period. He would like to makt. it quite clear that a great deal of the work had been carried out under difficulties.

Splendid Service Rendered Apart from their actual conception. the plans were worthy of high praise from a draughtsman's point of view and he strongly emphasised that the ^jnount of service embodied in them was much greater than the citizens had paid for. It would not have been possible to achieve the result if Mr. Tschopp's heart and soul had not been in the work. His services would not possibly be represented in terms oi cash, and he took the opportunity to thank the architect for the enthusiasm and keen interest he had shown in the town. .The whole of the plans, with the exception of one, were only tentative, the Mayor continued. In some cases _they might be modified, but they would form a basis on which they hoped .to carry out the beautification of the borough. There had not been ftime_ to deal with every piece of land rin the borough which lent itself to •beautification, but they had taken the miajor portion of the reserves and ■prepared the plans _ of development. •with three alternative schemes for the ■streets. It was now possible to visualise these reserves connected by one of the alternative streets or boulevards. Thus they could get a definite and comprehensive idea of the develop;ment"of the town in years to come. The councillors might, possibly, be eharged with being idealists, he said, but he reminded the public that it was Jiot proposed to carry this work out at once. Nevertheless, it was necessary to have a basis to work on. The council did not want to do work which In a year or two it would have to •undo. What .'work they undertook now could be definitely carried out in iaccordance with the plans and to fit Tn with the general scheme.

Experiments Justified On behalf of the Parks and Reserves Committee he expressed great appreciation of Mr. Tschopp's work. He had not only shown himself capable of layout, but also capable of earry•ing it into effect. The ^islands at Whaka were not yet complete, but they gave an idea of what the work would be like when carried out. The work so far done had completely ehanged the appearance of the locality. •The transplanting of trees of large size was by way of experiment. There •had been a certain number of fail--ures but there were over 80 per cent •"of successes. Many of the trees •transplanted were over 20 years old, •He had cherished the desire to see -Rotorua the most beautiful town in -the Southern Hemisphere, but he -wanted to see that accomplished *while he was alive. Unemployed la--bour could be put to no better use • than in beautifying the town. Mr. E. la Trobe Hill, president oi' the Beautifying Society, declared the v council had done the right thing in ;employing a landseape architect and -he warmly praised Mr. Tschopp's ;-work. TI Cr. 0. H Coleman believed the re'Sidents of Rotorua owed a debt of "gratitude to Mr. Tschopp which they would be able to realise after seeing the plans. In reply Mr. Tschopp paid a warm •tribute to the Mayor for the help he •had given and which had greatly *helped him to carry on his work in ^■spite of criticism. The Mayor had ••been "the man behind the gun" ••throughout.