Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-07
'TreeIess' Streets
Now that the District Col

IreeIeSS Streets
Now that the District Com
missioners have acquired for
themselves those air-condi-
toned cars, those of us whose
taxes paid the bill will be
waiting. come summer. for
buses or walking the steam
ing, hot, treeless streets where
the same Commissioners, in
almost the same breath, au-
thorized the Highway De-
partment to move in. Every
one knows what happened.
and ! have yet to hear one
person approve! OF course I
haven't talked to the con-
tractors or whoever will profit
by spending money the Dis
trict hasn't got-to widen
streets already wide enough,
such as New Hampshire ave-
nue. above Rock Greek Church
road and Georgia avenue.
Next on the agenda, / UNI
derstand. in spite of protests,
will be the lovely section
north Of Grant circle. where
elmS arch over the four lane
highway, to meet and shade
the sun-baked streets in sum-
mer: and even when bare of
leaves, the graceful trunks
lend character and a cathe-
dral-like air to the avenue.
when there is a break in the
cars that race in from Mary
land and out again. If the
street is widened to five or
six lanes. pedestrians will
find it almost impossible to
cross. many times during the
day. This is true now, to
some extent.
Where the giant trees have
already been ruthlessly de-
stroyed, the street is bald.
bare and hideous. What can
they be thinking Of? Just
don't let anything happen to
the Lebanon cedar in the CEN
ter of Grant circle, brought
here from Europe at great
expense, years ago!
In your editorial note to a
letter dealing with the re-
moval of trees in the District,
you stated that eventually
the elms will be replaced, but
appropriations do not always
permit immediate planting of
new ones" /, too. have pain
fully witnessed the destruc-
ton of Washington's fairest
trees and wondered at the
cause. there usually being no
visible sign of decay or other
defect. Your statement that
the removal of these trees is
due to their having Dutch
elm disease is no doubt cor
rect, but scant consolation
indeed can be derived from
your further comment about
the lack of appropriations for
requirements. have not so
far heard of single instance
of a tree having been planted
to replace one that has fallen
prey to this dread blight.
Anyone who desires proof of
this need only walk around
the Ellipse where. over the
past two years, many fine and
graceful specimens have been
cut down. but through want
of appropriations no replace
ments have been planted.
I fear we are fast losing our
sense of values and direction,
when a country which is
spending astronomical sums
of money on engines Of de-
struction and cosmic fight
is SO chary about financing
the replacement of trees for
which many people remember
Washington most wildly.
Walter H. Maurer.
X X
Trees have been one Of the
greatest influences on our
civilization. The decorative
beauty of trees with their
changing leaves and for
nations: the comforting air
of solitude with a suggestion
of nature and space which
they can give to a crowded
city; their free air-condition-
ing service to man, and their
haven for birds that destroy
our harmful insects, are but
a few Of their contributions
in addition to many known
to our industries.
Trees do not congest traffic
nor wide streets prevent acct
dents. The open road and
wide streets with their subtle
suggestion of unrestricted
movement have been our
major sources of accidents
and fatalities, not the tree
lined or normal-Size streets.
The word traffic" is the pop
ular "gimmick" used to JUS