Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, JULY 12, 1938. TREES ON MAIN HIGHWAYS.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 July 1938, Page 6

Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, JULY 12, 1938. TREES ON MAIN HIGHWAYS.

§,O far as our national authorities are concerned, there

seems to be at present little enough inclination to encourage the planting of trees along main highways. A letter on the subject from, the Main Highways Board which was “received” by the Featherston County Council at its meeting on Friday last mentioned that no contribution to the cost of tree planting would be made by the board, and for the rest amounted to little more than a citation of the restrictions to be imposed on district authorities in any tree planting they might undertake. The letter quoted a resolution passed at the last meeting of the Highways Board which read in part as follows :— That while sympathetic to the general principle of tree planting on main highways, the board considers that the rights and safety of the traffic are its paramout consideration and cannot agree to tree planting where that consideration does not apply, nor where the growth of trees is likely to interfere with power or telegraph lines. That the State Forestry Department be approached as to suitable low-growing trees to be planted where lines are in existence or likely to be erected and as to other trees in cases where this does not apply. The rest of the resolution deals with matters of detail, including the important detail that the Highways Board will not contribute to the cost of tree planting, nor to any maintenance costs involved. Not much fault is to be found with the resolution as far as it goes, but it bears witness to a regrettable lack of vision and foresight, and generally to a painfully narrow and restricted outlook. To those who have travelled over roads made glorious by trees in some parts of New Zealand and in other countries, it may appear that a national highway authority should be intent rather on wisely encouraging the growth of trees than on merely imposing restrictions. The merely negative attitude of the Highways Board in this matter appears most clearly in its observation that it cannot agree to tree planting that would interfere with the rights and safety of traffic. The fact is here entirely overlooked that tree planting, efficiently carried out, is capable in some instances of contributing notably to the safety of traffic, as in splitting it into one-way lanes, or in cutting off the morning or evening sunglare which in places and at times militates seriously against safe driving. It is much to be regretted, also, that the Highways Board apparently considers that trees should everywhere and always take second place to power lines, and should at most be permitted a lowly growth which will not interfere with these lines. Surely, with all the improvement of highways that is going on in these days, it is possible in some instances to move power lines out of the way of trees. The conception of main roads as open and unsheltered speedways, on which only power lines are to be allowed to intrude surely would bettei* befit a race of Goths or Vandals than New Zealanders about to celebrate the centennial year of their country. Before the standards indicated by the Highways Board in its letter on tree planting on highways are accepted, it should be considered that, apart from the appeal of beauty for its own sake, there are economic ends to be served, in the attraction of tourists and in other ways, by doing what is possible to prevent our arterial roads being brought increasingly .to an aspect of drab monotony.