WANTED A VISION.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 October 1919, Page 4

WANTED A VISION.

NEW PLYMOUTH'S OPPORTUNITIES. INTERESTING IMPRESSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. ' "Where there is no vision the people perish." This striking phrase is prominently displayed in a show place in California, and Mr. A. E. Sykes, who has just returned from a visit to America, said at a meeting of the Tourist and Expansion League last evening that the people of New Plymouth could advantageously keep the epigram before them, for without vision the town would never make the most of its many opportunities. He had seen all he could whilst in America. He set out to visit all the "show" places and to see how they did things. But ho could honestly say that in no place he had been did they possess the natural scenic and other advantages of his own .town. In America, however, they knew how to exploit their advantages and attractions, and as "boosters" were extraordinarily successful. Compared with them in this respect we were as infants.

The municipalities were the "boosters." It was their duty—and evident pleasure —to advertise their possessions. They prepared booklets describing them, arranged for sight-seeing and guides, who described the places and points of interest and took care that visitors saw everything there was to be seen —and spent all they could spend in the place. They were great believers in their towns and in themselves, and missed no chance of singing the town's praises and advancing its interests. The child was educated to take an interest and believe in its town, to regard the flower plot? abutting on the roads as the property of the community. The interests of the community were first and foremost always. They did not permit a property owner to plant what he liked in his front garden. lie had to take directions from the town's landscape gardener, who prescribed what he should plant from season to season. The house-owner, to.>, was obliged to maintain the sward that formed part of the road jn front of his house, and in this work he took the same interest as if it were his own. They had developed the community interest to a high pitch in California, and it all mads for added beauty, attraction, healthiness, and contentedness.

In California they opened up everything to the public. In the literature were described the private places of interest as well as the public ones. Motor roads were constructed alongside or right through these gardens, and trips were so arranged that there was no going over the same, ground twice. New Plymouth could do the same with advantage to both citizens and visitors. For instance, what was there to stop them from making a motor drive through Pukekura Park to the racecourse, skirting the beautiful valley of bush forming the top of the park, "Brooklands" and coming out at "Maranui," thence to the Avenue Road? This would be a glorious motor drive. Then there was Western Park. He was afraid people did not realise what a perfect panoramic picture of the whole countryside could be obtained from the top of the park. He was there on Sunday, and he could honestly say he had seen nothing mora beautiful in all his travels than the view spread out before him —the towering, snow-clad mountain on the one side, with the undulating country dotted with houses between, the seas breaking on the beach with the White Cliffs in the distance, and then, turning round, the sugarloaves set in the emerald sea, whilst in the foreground the town itself set in such tt wealth of beauty. Here, lie felt sure, they had a great asset that would appeal irresistibly to visitors. But they wanted to construct a motor road to the tap, establish a tea kiosk there, and have an outlet to Westown. Visitors would not walk uphill or any distance. They must recognise this at once. Then there were the beaches. They certainly had the Kawaroa Park motor drive, but there was no outlet. They should continue the drive towards the Breakwater. Then there was Paritutu, a drive around the foot of which could be constructed from the root of the Breakwater at no great cost, coming out at Spotswood. There were already many excellent motor drives in and around the town, he admitted, but they should exploit these other assets, and the town would greatly benefit.

Tn America carnivals were great institutions. Every "show" town held its carnival. New Plymouth was generally admitted to be the "show" town of the Dominion. Then why not arrange to hold an annual carnival ? They already had the. fixtures, and it was necessary !to link them up. In February the Jockey Club had a two days' meeting, and this year the Trotting Club was to hold a one-day meeting. The A. and P. Society held its show a little plater on. Why not arrange for the holding of the show immediately after the races? This would give four to five days' functions. They could very well fill in another two days by holding a beach carnival and a day in the park. This would give a full week's diversified carnival. He urged the Tourist League to endeavor to bring this about. Of course, Mr. Sykes continued, -t would be said that accommodation could not be found for the visitors. That was no dilliculty in the "show" towns of America. They simply ran up tents — square places with thatched roofs —and let them. In "Tent City," near San Diego, he saw hundreds of these tents, and they answered the purpose admirably. People from miles around flocked to the beaches in the summer and enjoyed the camp life. In New Plymouth they had ground alongside the beach sufficient for two or three tent cities. In San Diego, Spreckles, the millionaire shipowner, ran up these tents and got 25s a week for them. He was coining money. In New Plymouth a similar scheme would pay handsomely. He saw big things ahead of New Plymouth if they only awakened to their opportunities. Some people did not approve of the propaganda work of the League in the past, but he would like to say that it had resulted in a tremendous lot of good, for many people, having spent an enjoyable holiday here, returned to permanently live. He could cite many cases of this that had come under his personal notice. Besides, it had removed the impression then prevailing outside that New Plymouth was decadent and asleep. Satisfactory as had been the results in the past, they were as nothing compared with what could be done if they went into the matter of advertising their attractions more, opened up and improved their town in the way he had suggested, and really went to work systematically and determinedly. '

Incidentally, he expressed the hope that the Borough Council would lose no time in laying out and planting section opposite the station, which in it§.present touditwu *aye geqgle c<H9in&

to the place for the first time a very bad impression. He thought the town could not do better than commission the curator of the paVk to take this work in hand immediately, and also the beautifying of the town generally. The chairman (Mr. T. C. List) thanked Mr. Sykes for his kindness in attending and giving members the benefit of his impressions and suggestions, which, he was sure, would be favorably considered by the League. He was satisfied that much more could be done in the future by the League, whose operations had of late years been affected by the war conditions, but now that things were settling down they could start afresh and push ahead with their work. It was decided to approach the A. and P. Association and ask if it could see its way to alter its dates to the days following the races, and to convene a meeting of representatives of the Beach I and Park Committees to consider tho question of arranging beach and park functions to fit in with the proposed carnival week.

The secretary (Mr. W. A. Collis) reported that the Tourist Department had notified that the amount of £SO was being put on the estimates for subsidising the league, and Mr. IV. B. Davies reported that he had collected £44 in subscriptions since last meeting. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr. Sykes for his interesting and valuable "talk", and it wa3 unanimously decided to appoint -tt~J3j±£a_ia„th£ executive. He and the chairman were instructed to forthwith prepare town and district guide folders, for which the secretary reported there is a considerable demand outside.