VANDALS IN THE FORESTS.

Evening Star, Issue 26081, 21 April 1947, Page 8

VANDALS IN THE FORESTS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —It is deplorable that we Europeans found New Zealand before we were sufficiently civilised to preserve, and not destroy, irreplaceable things. God’s own country? Once! Until we Europeans came to clear God and His works put of it with axe and fire; with stoats, cats, and rats; and with forest-destroying animals to provide amusement fpr those who are happy only when they . are causing pain and suffering to their fellow creatures. We have certainly not covered ourselves with glory m our dealings with this unfortunate land. Those who lately preached against vandalism, to the great thankfulness of all hearers, have now loosed vandals in this last remaining rain forest of New Zealand (Waipoua). Day after day destruction is going on there. They say that they are helping the forest by removing dead trees. Nature has dealt very successfully with dead trees for millions of years, and now these, her youngest children, set out to “ help ” her, with the disastrous results that usually follow in the wake of a small unguided child who desires to “ help.” Tractors are wrecking everything in their path, for let no one' imagine that those dead trees are being removed with helicopters. “ Man, proud man, dressed in a little

brief authority, plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven as make the angels weep.” But weeping will not help matters. Are there a sufficient number of New Zealanders who are civilised enough to sweep the vandals out of the forest aud see to it that in future nothing will be done to any forest in New Zealand without the sanction of those botanists and zoologists who, after all, are the oulv ones qualified to decide upon what are and what are not harmful activities? —T am, etc., John Adam Nason. April 20.