Sixteen Miles of Highway to Be Beautified

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 163, 30 September 1927, Page 13

Sixteen Miles of Highway to Be Beautified

Great South Road Scheme Inaugurated , BEDS OF VIOLETS “In a few years time, when we pass the meat works, l hope we will see beds of violets there also.” At the inaugural meeting of the Great South Road Beautifying Council, held at Manurewa last night, the chairman, Mr. G. "W. Hutchison, said that motorists owed a debt of gratitude to the local bodies which had put down the road in concrete. To show their appreciation they wished to help these authorities to beautify the highway, and to carry on*the work of the Great South Road Improvement Committee which had achieved ;ts object. The present, scheme, he did not think, would be a very expensive one, as people would give trees and shrubs. The Auckland Council of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, and the Auckland Alpine and Rock-Garden Society both wrote expressing their sympathy with the idea and offering to help. The bodies represented at the meeting were:—One Tree Hill Road Board, Ellerslie Town Board, Manukau County Council, Papatoetoe Town Board, and Beautifying League, Manurewa Town Board, Otahuhu Borough Council, Papakura Town Board and Beautifying Society, Auckland TownPlanning Association, Auckland Auto-mobile-Association. and the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors. The following officers were elected: Chairman, Mr. G. W. Hutchison; vicechairman, Mr. A. C. A. Sexton; hon. secretary, Mr. H. Morton. The chairman said thtt the council had about £35 in hand, made up of £25 from the Automobile Association, and £lO of which had been credit balance of the Improvement Association when it was wound up. On the motion of Mr. H. B. Dobbie, it was decided to ask local bodies concerned to supply plans of the road and adjacent properties. Mr. P. Holt stiggested that the local bodies should confer and see if they could agree on a uniform scheme before calling professional aid. On the motion of the chairman it was decided to ask representatives of the associations concerned to meet the local bodtes and furnish a report. The chairman explained that he expected to raise the money needed for the work by concerts and dances. Mr. Sexton said that members of local bodies had decided they must do something, and the easiest way was to have a rate struck and a loan raised for the work. MOTOR SPORTS An opening ceremony when the road was completed at the end of the year was suggested by the chairman. Motor sports could be held, and the charge for admission would help the fund. On the motion of the Rev. W. Wood it was decided to ask the Automobile Association to hold the sports in the first fortnight of December, and it was also decided to ask for £2 2s donations from each of the local bodies represented. “We hope we are in measurable distance of getting stock removed from the Great South Road,” said Mr. Sexton. An amendment to the Act would settle the stock route. Mr. F. M. Waters: From information we have there will be no difficulty with the route. There is a break of only one and a-ha.lf miles. It was suggested that if owners of land were approached they would plant the waste areas adjacent to the road. It was decided to hold the meetings at Papatoetoe.