“ALL OIL PAINTINGS”

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 459, 17 June 1937, Page 6

“ALL OIL PAINTINGS”

WAYSIDE BEAUTY Those Railway Hoardings Press Association —Copyright. Wellington, June 16. The Railway Department, it was stated alt a meeting of the Beautifying Society last night, believes (that all its hourdings are oil paintings at least, but the society does not, and so it proposes to carry its representations further At the annual meeting of the society, said the chairman, Captain S. H. Holm, hoardings were mentioned and the Railway Department was named as the chief offender. The General Manager of the Department’ Mr G. H. Mackley, had taken the remarks to heart land had suggested that the best course would be for the society to wait upon the Minister of Railways' and other Ministers concerned. The Railway Department was anxious to meet Ithe society, but could not cease erecting hoardings while private enterprise—the main offenders—continued to do so, but the department was quite prepared to have certain roads classed as scenic roads, upon which no hoardings should fie erected. Mr R. L. Mlacalister said that the convener of the Hutt Road committee, Mr Bowie, had spent halt a morning with the General Manager and the chief advertising officer, pointing out ithe increased numb,er of hoardings put up by the Department, but those gentlemen seemed to have the idea It-hat railway hoardings were genuine oil paintings. M> Bowie had disagreed with them most strongly. “Beauty Misplaced.’’ Captain Holm said that probably from the point of view of the Department the erection of hoardings' wu.s quite all right, for it was not ouit Ito make money, but Ithe society and I a great many of the public did not i see it in that light at all. No mater | how extraordinarily beautiful a hoarding might be ag a hoarding, if it shut out native beauty, it was beauty misplaced. Mr Macalister said he understood that it was the intention of Ithe Department to ere.ct a line of saggere hoardings over the tiiEJ-JengJih beftween . . the new Thorndon ramp and

Kaiwarra, and the Department had asked whether the society would be interested in plark.ing and beautifying at the foot of that line of hoam ings. “A whole line of beautiful oilPaintings, ’ said the chairman. “I think it is time the society got busy." It was agreed that the Hutt Road committee should wait upon tjie Mimdtar of Railways (and other Ministers -interested! in hoarding advertising and road and scenic beauty.