MT. EDEN.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 138, 12 June 1911, Page 6

MT. EDEN.

THE HAND OF THE SPOILER. Considerable [indignation is felt by residents of Mt. Eden at' the action -of the City Council in proceeding- to cut away the* crown of the first spur on Mt. Eden, overlooking the city( with a view to erecting a reservoir hi conniection -with the water supply. Mr. E. H. Potter, a. member of the Mt. Eden Borough Council and Domain Board, is one of those moving to have .this work at once discontinued. "it amounts to a scandal," declared Mr. Potter. "The beauty of the mountain is being destroyed by the removal of the crown of this first peak, which commands a splendid view of the city. The work in hand will involve the destruction of some of the remaining historical terraces, which, according; to the Rev. W. Gittos, an authority mi native work, represent the work of the Maoris of olden times, and have not been formed by natural process. Under special legislation the City Council has the right, with the sanction of the Mt. -Eden Domain Board, to ■build reservoirs on Mt. Eden, but in this case no plan has been submitted to the Board for its approval. There are numbers of places on the hillside where other sites for the purpose can be found, without despoiling one of the most prominent peaks on tlie famous mountain." "Our endeavour is in the direction of improving the beauty of Mt. Eden, rather than destroying it," added Mr. Potter, "and it is in this direction that I have given notice to the Mt. Eden Borough Council of, my intention to move that we set' aside the sum of £250, thereon receiving a subsidy of £250, for the erection of a permanent memorial ■to the accession of King George V., in ■the form of a shelter and band rotunda on the summit' of Mt. Eden, the whole work to be designed so far as is possible as to be in harmony with the best traditions of Maori art, and no ornament or tracery to be allowed •which is not in accordance therewith." The question of the removal of the crown of Hie first peak of the hill overlooking the city will be discussed at' a meeting of the Mt. Eden Domain Board on Friday evening.