ASTOUNDING OMISSION

Evening Star, Issue 19760, 10 January 1928, Page 3

ASTOUNDING OMISSION

m VISIT FROM DR HILL DUNEDIN IKE CENTRE OF BOTANICAL WORK MEETING OF PROTEST. A meeting of bodies interested was held yesterday to protest against the omission of Otago and Southland from the itinerary of Dr A. W. Hill, director of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P., presided, and others present were Sir George Fenwick, the Hon. G. M. Thomson, Messrs D. Tannock, H. A. Christie, H. Hart, F. W. Exler (Otago branch of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture), H. T. Trevena (president of the Dunedin Horticultural Society), W. 0. MTvellar (Otago A. and P. Society), J. Taylor (chairman of the Chamber of Commerce) S. B. Macdonald, W. B. Steel (the chairman and secretary of the Otago Expansion League), D. Larnach (Reserves Committee of the City Council), J. Ash (secretary of Amenities and Town Planning Society), and J. Christie.

Air Sidey explained that the meeting had been called at the instance of the local branch of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture. Those present would bo aware, he said, that Dr W. A. Hill was shortly to visit New Zealand, and that he was due at Auckland on January 24. and would be in New Zealand till anout February Id, a period of three w’coks. Notwithstanding the time at his disposal, it appeared that Otago and Southland had been completely omitted from his itinerary. One of the objects of his visit was the study of the problems of economic botany. Otago Central had special forestry problems, a.nd Southland; with its climatic conditions, was specially suitable for the growing of forestry trees. He might also mention that of the seven men in New Zealand who had received their training at Kew four were in Otago and Southland, three being in Otago, and it was therefore the more surprising to find that district overlooked. Mr Tannock said that ho considered it distinctly disappointing to find that no visit hero was included in the itinerary. Last year Dr Hill has visited Canada, calling at all the main cities and reporting on tho establishment of a national botanical garden for Canada. The New Zealand Institute of Horticulture had been moving to get such a garden in Dunedin, and this suggestion had started in Dunedin. There was not tho slightest doubt that Dr Hill would bo asked by the Government to report on the desirability of a national botanic garden, and ho considered that Dunedin was especially suited for such a purpose. “ 1 consider that Dr Hill has been deliberately prevented from visiting Dunedin,” Mr Tannock added, “so that lie cannot seo what Is being done. Botanical work is negligible elsewhere—it is nil in Auckland and practically nothing in Wellington. There is a more complete collection of healthy plants in private gardens in Dunedin than anywhere else in New Zealand, and wo have organised a system of collecting, establishing, and exchanging plants, and wo have tried to maintain a system of exchange with other parts of the world. Last year we sent out a total of 8,900 trees and shrubs, herb plants, bulbs, and packets of seeds, and received in exchange a total of 1,700. It has also been our aim to establish as complete a section of all tho plants of the world as possible, and they have all been put together with some definite system. We have also been establishing as complete a section of native plants as possible, and here again we have adopted a certain system of botanical classification. Another important work is tlie training of young men. We have trained two men who went to Kew, and have now come back to tako up responsible positions. We have one man at Kew now, and another one is going shortly.” Mr Tannock concluded by saying that Dr Hill was recognised as one of the foremost economic botanists, and those who were interested in botany and forestry would be glad to confer with him. Tho Hon. G. M. Thomson said that the main reason why Dr Hill should visit Otago and Southland was that these provinces constituted the most important botanical region of New Zealand.

It was decided to frame a resolution ol protest to forward to tho proper authorities, and the chairman, Sir George Fenwick, Mr G. M. Thomson, and Mr Tannock were appointed to draw up the text of the resolution, which was ultimately presented as follows :—.

that this meeting of the representatives of the City Council, the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, the Chamber of Commerce, the Expansion League, the Otago A. and P. Society, tho Dunedin Horticultural Society, and Nurserymen’s Association, and the Amenities and Town Planning Society expresses its amazement that in preparing the itinerary of Dr Hill’s visit to New Zealand no arrangements have been made for visiting Otago and Southland. It strongly urges reconsideration of Dr Hill’s itinerary for tho following reasons:— “ (1) That Otago and Southland unquestionably constitute the most important botanical region in New Zealand.

“ (2) That the Inclusion of Dunedin is especially important, seeing that it is tho only city in the dominion that has in its botanical gardens a very large and representative collection of New Zealand’s alpine vegetation and many plants from the Auckland, Campbell, Antipodes, and Chatham Islands. “ (3) That the Dunedin Botanical Gardens are making a systematic effort to carry out the function of a true botanic garden—namely, by maintaining a system of exchange of plants and seeds with botanical gardens and cultivators in other parts of tho world, and by establishing as complete a collection of tho vegetation of all parts of the world as possible, and adopting a simple system of botanical and geographical classification by training young men and women in gardening and forestry. “ (4) That it is important that Dr Hill should have an opportunity of visiting Central Otago, because it is peculiarly suitable for tho cultivation of many economic plants. “ (o) That an opportunity should bo provided for the local botanists and others interested in horticulture, forostry, and agriculture to confer with Dr Hill on the possibilities of further developments. “This meeting is aware <hat there is a widespread feeling of disappointment that this portion of New Zealand should; again have been omitted from the itinerary of an important visitor to the dominion, and urges most strongly that this oversight should he rectified.”