Future Of Molesworth

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31936, 13 March 1969, Page 14

Future Of Molesworth

It was nonsense to think of opening the Molesworth Station to private enterprise, said Mr L. W. McCaskill last evening. Mr McCaskill, a former director of the Tussock Grasslands and Mountain Lands Institute at Lincoln College, was addressing a meeting of the Canterbury branch of the New Zealand Geographical Society. His subject was, “Molesworth: A Story of Degradation and Rehabilitation.”

It had taken 25 years merely to re-establish vegetations, Mr McCaskill said, and it would take another 25 years to establish new soils, according to a report by a soil fertility expert.

Mr McCaskill said that this problem and that of providing finance cast a "dark shadow” over the development of Molesworth.

The single most important development in the rehabilitation of Molesworth had been the aerial sowing of cocksfoot grass and white clover. This had been started in 1952, although a trial sowing had been made in 1938, Mr McCaskill said.

Praise for Manager Frequently during his address, which was extensively illustrated with slides, Mr McCaskill praised the work of Mr W. Chisholm, the manager of the station since 1944.

Mr Chisholm thought he would take a rest from deerstalking to take over the Molesworth, said Mr McCaskill. but the rest was not to come for a long time. Mr McCaskill emphasised that the Molesworth country was not open to the public to wander through. The property, together with Tarndale station, had been alienated to

the Crown in 1938: it had not been bought by the Crown, but was administered by it. People who wished to open the various roads through Molesworth for public traffic were very mistaken, he said. There was a 60-mile gap between petrol stations and for four months of the year the area was thick with snow, the road becoming virtually im-

passable. The station ran from 2000 ft to 7000 ft in altitude, and most of it was above 3000 ft.

Mr McCaskill discussed the history of the Molesworth station and in particular the efforts of recent years to curb the rabbit problem and reestablish vegetation. He noted that cattle had been run on the station in the 1850 s and

1800 s, but that soon after this the property had carried up to 47,000 sheep, which was too much. Mr McCaskill was a foundation member of the Canterbury branch of the Geographical Society and a former president.

The meeting was preceded by a buffet meal in honour of Mr McCaskill. Dr G. Jobberns, a former professor of geography at the University of Canterbury, who has been closely connected with developments at the station for a number of years, was chairman. Other members of the audience included Mr T. W. Preston, a former Commissioner of Crown Lands for the Canterbury District, and Dr W. R. Chapman, an American from the staff of the Food and Agricultural Organisation. Dr Chapman will accompany Mr McCaskill to Molesworth station today.