The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13. 1903 SCENERY PRESERVATION.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume LIII, Issue 2821, 13 November 1903, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13. 1903 SCENERY PRESERVATION.

The rapid disappearance of the native bush dining the last few years has caused so much outcry against the total destruction of the natural beauties of the country that Parliament has decided to spend no less than £100,000 on the preservation of the beauty spots of the Colony. A Bill has passed the House of Representatives, authorising the borrowing of £100,000 for this purpose. Mr Massey, Leader of the Opposition, had two objections to make to the Bill. In the first place, he thought £100,000 was too much to spend in this manner; and secondly, he objected to the terms on which the money was to be employed. He maintained that it was distinctly .wrong to do as the

House was doing and pay for the maintenance of the land out of borrowed money and not out of the revenue, It was against the principle of the Parliament and would injure the credit of the Colony in London.

Mr Allen and Mr Buchanan spoke on the subject, advancing the same objection to this part of the Bill. Mr Allen said that the House otherwise approved entirely of the Government's intention to purchase the beauty spots of the Colony. However, the motion to leave the Bill in its present condition was carried by 11 votes.

Some rather amusing discussion followed upon the third reading of the Bill. Mr Willis, of Wanganui, spoke strongly of the destruction of some native bush on the Wanganui River. He read the following letter, which had been sent to the Hon. James Carrol:— Wanganui, 27th Oct., 1903. " Dear Sir,—The Putiki Natives—

Takarangi, Mete Kingi, and others— quite recently, I understand, leased, with other lands in or adjoining the Puketarata Block, on the Wanganui '. iver, the beautiful scenic hillside opposite Kahinihinihi to a settler, Mr Matthew Connor, who is now felling it preparatory to burning it. This from a national and scenery point of view is deplorable. Can nothing be done to save it? For thirty miles from Wanganui this is by far the most beautiful piece of native bush At the moment it is a mass of rangiora, akeake, clematis, yellow kowhai, and other beautiful native shrubs in full flower. The hillside in question is high and very steep, and, once cleared, much of it wiil slip into the river. The acreage cannot exceed some twenty acres, and the ground-rent of which cannot be more than 2s or 3s per acre annual rental. If the Government can do anything it must be done quickly by'

telegram. I am sure the Natives would willingly concede the rent on this magnificent piece of bush if approached by you, and Mr. Connor would', no doubt, be content with same. i The spot adjoins the well-known ground known as * Picnic Point.'— Yours, etc., A. Hatrick."

When Mi 1 , Willis, enlarging on the W-ckedtacss of allowing such spots to he destroyed, spoke of the absolute necessity for the Government to take immediate action in the matter, and said that tourists came from all parts of the world to see the beautiful YVnng- . nni River,

Mr Lethbridge raised the objection that, as Wanganui Yvt.s a slnall electorate, they required no money for roads and bridges. There were many back-blocks in the Colony, where _t_ttlers were in sad need of loads. tte read the following extract from the " Mangaweka Settler," as illustrating the dreadful condition of some of New Zealand's far away spots ,■-—

"A settler tells me that he lives in the Kuhatau Valley, and that he only gets a wheeled vehicle out to the town twice a year, once to bring out his wool, and again when his wife brings out the baby to be christened > and each time he has to bring a shovel to deav sHpi. before a cart,' 1

Another point Mr Lethbridge raised was the necessity of guarding preseived bush from the danger of fire. He considered Wanganui Riv.r bush was liable to be burnt down the first dry summer, the only charce bush bad of being saved was when there was a gully to the windward .side . [' it. 'me best .suggestion given by Mr

Lethbridge was of teaching children to love the native bush, and so attach them to it, that they would individu-

ally help to preserve .-.m. of the natural beauty of the country. This is a measure that cannot be too strongly advocated. There is no doubt that every settler can do something towards the beautifying of his district, and unless he has a love for hi. native bu> h, it is just as certain he will never do anything in that direction,

Mr McLachlan sneered at Mr Willis enthusiastic remarks oh the Wanganui River, tte said that Mr Willis was an old colonist, who had fattened himself on the credulity of tourists, and vet had refused to give money to the poor settlers in the Waimarino for their roads, He considered that Mr Willis ought to be ashamed of himself, if that was not unparliamentary. In spite of this preliminary, Mr McLachlan admitted the Wanganui River was a beautiful spot, and had heard it outshone the famous Rhine. However, he said his own son lived near Wanganui and h d to place his three children on a horse to take them to school, and the horse was up to its girths in mud. He said that, in spite of this state of affairs, Mr Willis wanted to spend a large sum of money in acquiring scenic beauties. In concision, Mr McLachlan advocated that there was no imme diate need of spending the money on preservation purposes and hoped the Premier, instead, would look after the interests of the country settlers. In reply, Mr Seddon accused Mr McLachlan of being unsentimental and having no aspirations beyond a milk pail. To this the member for Ashburton retorted that his aspirations were higher than the loaves and fishe., Mr Seddon was clamoring for. The Premier said he supposed, then, Mr McLachlan's unreasonable view restltetl from the fact that there was no scenery at Ashburton. The Premier remarked with justice that the beautiful scenery of our country was in a large measure dependent on the native bush. There were such places as Mt. Cook and M.t. Egmont, _ and certain rivers and lakes, where there was wonderful natural scenery ; but they wanted besides these to preserve the beauty of Lake Te Anau, Lake Ada, etc. There seemed to be no reason why roads and bridges could not be made at the same time. There is no doubt that the money will be well spent in preserving our native bush, for it is high time the Government intervened to save it from the axe. It is to be hoped that the Kaituna Bush | will be one of the spots saved ; for that is almost the last large piece of native bush left on the Peninsula Hills. Both Opposition and Government members agree to the need of the Bill, though they disagreed as to the terms, thus proving that both parties consider it a measure meriting general support.