NATIVE TREES CHOSEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 741, 14 August 1929, Page 9

NATIVE TREES CHOSEN

—+—- HORTICULTURISTS’ Heeding strong representations by an influential deputation of. horticulturlsts. the Parks Committee of the City Council agreed yesterday afternoon that 'native trees shall be planted on the approaches to the War Memorial Museum. In place of the exotics prevaously de~ cided upon. .XFTER hearing the deputation. the ‘ r-onncillors appointed a committee vonsisting of its (‘hairnn.n. 311’. .l. B. Paterson. the superintendent of pa rks. )1 r. 'l‘. D. Pearson. and three memhcrs 03' the Institute of l—lorth'ultnro. Messrs. David Hay. XV. H. Rice. and E. Morrison. whose function it will be to choose the trees. The seasnn being late. lhe committee is to meet as soon as possible. but in any ease the alteration is subject to the approval of the counCll. Sir George Fowlds. “ho urgcrl that trees round the memorial should be natives of New Zealand. did not say there should be no exotics. He believed in beautifying the city and edu< eating the people in the plants or other parts of the world. The planting of the memorial ground, however. was a different matter. The building Was'in honour of New Zealand men. and the institute believed it only right that native trees should be grown in the neighbourhood. "\Ve shall be gravely disappointed if we find the memorial surrounded by other than New Zealand trees.“ said Mr. A. C. A. Sexton. who represented the Returned Soldiers’ Association. “The memorial is a marvellous build—ing. but the erection of it in foreign stone was a mistake. Even the very heart of it. the shrine. is made of imported stone." MEMORIES OF THEIR COUNTRY While the men were away. said Mr. Sexton, their thoughts of New Zea—land always produced pictures or native bush. and the precincts of the museum should be made the location or a. collection of native flora. H.asked that. whatever the decision 0: the committee. the trees should no: be too many, or be allowed to beconw. too high. Miss B. E. Carnachan, president of the National Council of “’omen. thought it would be an insult to plant anything other than native trees. These were emblematic of all the fin—est characteristics of the men whose memory was being honoured. ‘ In reply to a. question. Mr. G. A. Green, secretary of the New Zealand Horticultural Trades' Association. said ‘that no trees would do better in the lvicinity of the memorial than native trees. Mr. D. A. Hay expressed the view ‘that the Indian cedar with which it had been intended to plant. the area. was quite unsuited to the locality, but ‘ the pohutukawa. and ‘the puriri were. peculiarly adapted to the formation there. Mr. Paterson laid it was a pity that the deputation had waited so long before presenting its viewe. The plan: for planting the surroundings of the memorial had been adopted two a‘nd a—halt years ago, and the present. Parks Committee had merely decided to put them into cited: in order to have the area. in an improved state for the opening ceremony in November. The committee. as“ was now constituted, had had no bend in choosing the trees to be planted. - In view or the discussions that had taken place m the newspapers, it had suspended the. planting of the cedars, which it. was intended to put in at the Maunseii Road entrance, until it had heard the vle\vs of the deputation.