BEAUTIFYING ASSOCIATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 502, 15 August 1902, Page 1

BEAUTIFYING ASSOCIATION.

A meeting of the Committeo of the Beautifying Association was held on Wednesday night, there being present Messrs A. F. Kennedy (President), Thomson, Redstone, Rowley, Symes, Sherratt, Darton, Rev. Father O’Connor, and Dr. Williams. The Works Committee’s report was adopted. It dealt with the various works in hand. The Haiti river bank work, first portion, was nearly completed ; trees and shrubs had been planted, and the bank was ready for sowing in grass. McLean street, Whataupoko, had been cleared, ploughed, levelled, sown in grass, and planted in evergreens; a spring on the terrace had been planted with tree ferns and bamboos. A portion of the Recreation Ground had been put in good order for planting and tho drains attended to; the planting would be taken in hand as soon as street planting was completed. Custom House street would be taken in hand next week. Thirty protectors for trees had been made. Thanks were given to Messrs Kempthorne, H. Tucker, and Townley for collections of trees, and to Mr C. Gray for allowing native trees to be collected from his bush.

Considerable discussion took place on the subject of tree planting. The President thought there would be strong objection to planting trees in the middle of Custom-house street, as in the wool season there was a large amount of standing traffic; in Peel street most of tho vehicles were moving, and not stationary like wool drays waiting for each other to unload. Dr Williams strongly approved of plant, ing trees in the centre of streets, as the trees were then clear of the water tables and telephone wires. In the course of a discussion on the class of trees, Mr Darton advised that cabbage trees be restricted to streets where they had to place them at the side, and larger trees be used in the centre of the roads that could be so used. He referred to the silver birch as the most lovely street tree imaginable; in one place in the south they had a street planted with them for three miles distance. On the motion of the President, it was resolved that a row of silver birches bo planted in Custom-house street from Childers road to Kahutia street, subject to the

sanction of the Borough Council. It was agreed to plant some cabbage trees in Berry street, at the desire of residents, subject to the Council’s sanction. Dr Williams referred to tho vicinity of the railway approaches, and Mr Darton said that Mr Baxter was taking great interest in tho subject of beautifying in that locality, and was obtaining plants to form a nursery, from which trees would in due course be planted out. He (Mr Darton) was suro that the railway grounds would in time be a credit to the town. As to finances it was agreed that the time was at present inopportune to make a special effort to collect funds. In regard to tho street ends on the Whataupoho, the Secrotary reported that Mr Nisbett was making an effort to obtain funds for the Society to take in hand the street near his new house. Members favored an effort being made to beautify the unsightly portion of Ballance street at the approach to the footbridge leading to the recreation ground. It was resolved to authorise such work on all these street ends when funds and time permitted, Ballance street to have the preference. Mr Symes, the Treasurer, undertook to have a canvass made in support of the proposed work in Ballance street. The details of the work were left to the Works Committee. The President .mentioned that he had had the pleasure of being accompanied by Mr T. A. Fisher, one of the originators of the Dunedin Society, in an inspection of what had been done about Gisborne. Mr Fisher expressed himself highly pleased with what had been done, which he had said was very creditable to the Society. Some discussion took place on the-sub-ject of purchasing trees, and it was resolved that local purchases should always be made in preference to outside sources. The Secretary and Treasurer were authorised to sign cheques.