ARBOR DAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 182, 20 July 1900, Page 2

ARBOR DAY.

Although the proceedings wera not very enthusiastic, some useful planting was done in various parts of the town. In the morning His Worship the Mayor tind the Town Clerk, and Messrs, W. H. Skinner (President) and W. A. Collis (Secretary) of the Scenery Preservation Society, with several prominent citizens and some of the borough workmen, attended at Woolcombe Terrace, where some two hundred trees were planted. The major portion of these had been acquired by the Society, while the remainder had been donated by Mrs. Mitchinson and others. Great care was taken both in the selection and in the planting, as in the exposed situation which the trees were destined to occupy it was necessary that only those which were suitable to the position should be used, those which were in most request being the pohutukawa, pampas grass, olearia, and taupata. At the close of the work the Mayor thanked those who had taken part in it, and mentioned that it was the intention of the Borough Council to continue the planting on the reserves every year on Arbor Day, and that the borough workmen who assisted would be paid for their time. It is not generally known that several of the reserves which are vested in the Council were handed over upon the understanding that they should be ornamentally planted, and unless this stipulation is attended to there would seem to be a probability of their reverting to the Government. It behoves the citizens, therefore, not only to assist in the planting, but to do their utmost to prevent damage being done to any trees, etc., that have been put in. The action taken by the Mayor and the Scenery Preservation Society is most praiseworthy, and it is hoped that on the next recurrence of Arbor Day the work of ornamenting our open spaces will be taken in hand on a much larger scale.