SUMMIT ROAD.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16961, 9 October 1920, Page 11

SUMMIT ROAD.

MEETING OF SCENIC RESERVES BOARD.

Tho Summit Ko-ad Sccnie Ueser.v.s Board mot yesterday afternoon. ]VosonL: Jlessrs H. I>. if. Jlasz;ird ichairliiau). 11. S. Holiday, A. Morten, H. G. ]jll, R. ilak-olm. <.1. Gould, and Dr. G. Chilton. Apolm_xie> v.oro. rocoivod from tho Hon. 11. ]•'. V\*i;_rram and Mr Go.i. T. Booth.

]\[r Ell broujiht u;> ilio qucsii>in oi' the ".npointmcnt of rancors of reserves, and said that- thos.> n sid.ont in tho carctakors' }iou>:o-. siumid bo authori?od to act ns rangers. Tho Board was iho only body that eould Amhori-o tbom to carry out duties tonnocted with tho protoction of tho plant and bird life on tin; reserves. Ho moved : "That the caretaker at Kennedy's Btish be appointed ranker for the following reserves: Kennedy's Bush, Cooper's Knot*. Hoon Hay. Cans Peak, and Ahuriri Bu>h ; and that the caretaker at- Dyer's Pa,«.s liot tiou-o be ranger ot' the Coronation Hill and Sugar Loaf reserves. 1 '

Replying to the chairman, Mr Ell said thai the caretakers, at Kennedy's Bush a'nd were paid bv tho Stunmifc Road Association, and he did not suggest that, tlio Board should incur any liability in respect. of their services its ranjrt rs: thev would be . under the Board in an honorary position. Mr Morten seconded the motion.

Mr Hobday suggested that the tenant of the Tea House, Mount Pleasant, should be appointed ranger in respect of the reserves in that yioinity: and the suggestion was adopted, and the motion, as amended, was agreed to. Mr Ell took excretion to an account rendered by the Department of Agriculture for poisoning rhbbits on one of the reserves, andi stated tha't prior to the poisoning the rabbits on the reservo mentioned had been practically cleared off Ivy trapping. The chairman said that ho had explained to Mr Turner, of the Department. of Agriculture, the steps tak<?n to (rope with the rabbits by trapping. MiTurner said that trapping did not' comply with the Act, and that the Board must arrange to poison, as notices had been served on the, adjoining owners to poison, and it was necessary that the poisoning should he done by all at the same time.

Mr .Morten remarked that it was rare for adjoining owners to poison simultaneously.

Mr Gould suggested that the Board should endeavour to got the Department to agree to allow tho Board to adopt trapping; lie thought that if thev could show tho Department that the Board's, method was effective, tho Department might agree to it.

It was decided to pass the account for oavment.

An account in respect of fencing on ono of tho Kaituna scenic reserves raised a. discussion as to the legality of tho I?oa}-d recognising liability. An account from Mcssi's Harner, Son, and Paseoe, for out-of-pockct legal expenses in respect of one of these reserves also raised the same point. Mr Ell explained, regarding, the fencing, th.it it was on tho boundary of Parkinson's Bush, a.nd that Mr Walter Parkinson had paid the amount, •£'2-j 18s. Although Mr Parkinson had no legal claim, ho thought, in view of Mr Parkinson's practical sympathy in connexion with the K flit una reserves, tlie Board should pay tho amount. 1 The chairman said that tho reserve was not yet vested in tho Board, and ho understood that the Summit Road Association took no responsibility in connexion with it. '

Mr Ell: Who said that? The chairman: Some of the members of the Association.

Mr Ell said that,' as senior member of tho Association, he' disputed anybody's right to say that tho Association declined responsibility.. Ho oxplained that though the reserve in question was not vested in the Board, part of tho purchase money had been paid, and tho reserve was being held in trust for tho public. . The chairman relnarkod tliat the Board had got • money for opossum skins, some of which came, off the reserve. From a strictly legal* point of 'view tho Board ought not to have taken the money. " . '

Mr 3511 wont "fully into tho position of tho reserve, stating that owing t'o tho new chairman of the Association endeavouring' to make liis position intolerable, the present might be tho last meeting of th<S Board ho would attend. It was possible that ho would sever his connexion with the whole thing and declino the position that tho Minister of I/ands had offered him. Tb# secretary (Mr A. W. Duncan) at Air Ell's request- stated that tho sale of onossum skins netted £114, of which amount £70 odd was received by the

Board. . As it apDearcd from Mr Ell's statement of the position that the reserve, thoush not at nresent vested in the Board, could not bo diverted- from being so'vested, both accounts were passed for pavmcnt, and it was decided to thank. Messrs Harper, Son, and Paseoe, as their account would have ' been larger in amount if it had not been restricted only to out-of-pocket expenses. • Air Ell mentioned that thoro was a sum of £31 on the supplementary estimates, as subsidy towards the purchase of Parkinson's Bush. . Ho suggested that out of the. £50 odd in .the hands of Messrs Meares, Williams, and Holmes (represfenting surplus of rent over interest), the sum of £15 10s should bo paid into the public account It was decided to adopt tho suggestlClt was resolved to offer tho leaso of the Kennedy's Bush reserve, to run sheep on, by tender. TO THX EDITOR or "THE TRESS." Sir, I have read Mr Machin's and ■Mr Clark's letters—they do not help in clearing the way to a working understanding as between myself and these gentlemen. I am still being asked to unreservedly submit to tho rule and direction of*the chairman. I canfiot do .so; I would hurt the work I love wera I to do so. In a previous letter I referred to the fact that one of the most important proposals I have made in respect to a site for a beautiful public reserve has been turned down. Teat is the reason why I will not give a full statement as to my proposals for *fur-

ther additions to the Summit Toad scenic reserves. There is nothing wrong behind my refusal, as Mr Ma-chin hinted at at 'tHic last meeting of the General Committee.

I startofl out upon an important' scheme for the. public good _at the Cashmere Hills tram terminus. 1 7>rought tlie proposal before tho committee. Tho committee, or many of them, c.ould not sco that I was right, so I wont to someono wlio could sec eyo to eye witlh. me, and got the necessary* help* from Mr Thomas Stone,, and, with tho sympathetic help of Mr Cracroit Wilson, what will he a. beautiful reserve for the people was secured as a. result. Mr Mac kin says I should not do-what the committee 'havo said should not bo done. I cannot agree to have my activities- —-jay outlook on life as a useful man to my fellow-men, which is what I am trying to be—limited by tho resolutions passed by a committee, although that committee be. composed oi men who arc my'friends; - many of whom I have learned to love, beaauso of their goodness to me. The foregoing defines my attitude towards tlie committee. My duty to tho work i love must como' first. In taking up this stand I know I shall bo charged, again, as I have been many times in tho past, with counting myself the only.pebble on tho' beach, tlio only man. in step. I know I am placing a great strain on Uhe good nature and forbearance of my .fellow-members, of the -.committee, but that I cannot help. , Now I want.to- touch, and I must ho brief, on some issues raised in Mr Machin's letter. The statement of liabilities in connexion witlh the tram, terminus rest house is not correct,.as several claims made have nothing to do with it. Mr Lorrimer's claim of £'10 is for repairing the roof of the "Kiwi'' rest house, and there are several other amounts' not chargeable to the tram terminus rest house. I did not beg of tlio Association to take tho tram terminus' rest house, over. I said they, ought to include it in their sdheme, but when the resolution was moved to include . it, I distinctly stated .that I could only agree on the condition that I must be loft free to build and furnish the. building as I" had been when the "Kiwi" was built, .and tfliat the work must be continued to completion. When the committee stopped tho work on tho recommendation of the chairman .on June loth last, I determined to go on with it, tpid did so by collecting tho money to pay for wages and material. New, in answer to tho charge of wasteful methods, I was wofking under plans prepared by a capable architect. Mr Machin says I havo held tho work up bccauso there were no plans. The plans were prepared and completed six or seven months ago. -It is not true to say that there was a lot of building up and pulling down again. Two capable builders liavc spokeli to mo in hi pjh .praise of the good work done. J hare no apology to offer for taking a "lease from Mr Stone to preserve my right to go on with the work unfettered by unsympathetic people. A copy or nly letter to Mr Clark, giving my reasons for so doing, was sent to Mb W. Rceco. Mr G. Gould, Mr F. M. Warren, Mr F. E. Graham, Mr R. Malcolm, and others. Tho present if sue is not a question of finance alone, m respect to which I have not been unfair to mv friends and but 'has to do with my rights to initiato and carry out my plans for the advancement , of •this public work: this right- I will not yield up to any man or body of men. The caretaker told me that he had. sent in liis resignation and was going to Timaru. I asked the. Repatriation Board to find me a. caretaker, and the Repatriation Officer did so to my satisfaction. I did not attempt to divert- the refreshment room takings to tho disadvantage of tho scheme. I arranged with Mr Xowburgh, of Messrs Newburgh, Best and Co., to recover every penny, and to use same for the sole advantage of the scheme.—Yours, et'\ H. G. "ELL.' Christchurch, October Bth.