NATURE—AND MAN

Grey River Argus, 27 May 1935, Page 3

NATURE—AND MAN

A Question of Property

(Edited by Leo Fanning)

Whether occupiers of land have freehold or leasehold titles, they are under a moral obligation, from the national viewpoint, to have a wise management of the ground so that it will continue to be a good asset for posterity. Alas' Many freeholders and leaseholders in the past have behaved in the opposite manner, and large areas have been spoilt.

Previous articles of the “Nature-— and Man” series have mentioned that the campaign to make amends for human folly in warring against Nature is making admirable progress in the U.S.A., but some critics declare that the Federal Government has not yet taken sufficient power to protect the rights of the nation against the blundering of selfish individuals or

sections of the community. For example Ward Shepard, in an article headed “Public Control of Destructive Land Use,” in the magazine “American Forests” has this statement which applies to New Zealand as well as to the U.S.A.:—

“A broad regulatory law could empower tin* Federal Government to survey lands tributary to navigable streams to determine which lands must be controlled in the public interest, to prescribe proper use of each type of uch land so as to prevent erosion, rapid runoff, deforestation, or destructive cultivation of steep slopes. It could set up in each such region an advisory and educational service to assist land owners to adopt the required new methods. It could make very substantial offsets against these requirements by direct contributions for gully control, fire protection, roads, trails, and other works of a public nature; by low cost rental of terracing and other machinery; by providing cheap forest planting stock, seed and fertilizer, and by making long time credit available for integral land rehabilitation and by largely directing Federal credit to such basic purposes. “Is the time opportune for such a step? Philosophically considered, any forni of Government or any body of law which idly and helplessly permits the continued destruction of those basic resources on which the very habitability of large areas of this country depends, is derelict in its deepest obligations. To those who know the facts of erosion and deforestation in the United States as a whole, it is clear that large areas will be practically uninhabitable within a generation. It is equally clear that laissez-faire dependence on state or individual action !to stop the destruction of natural resources is, in effect, an evasion of the issue. Those who flourish on exploitation, or who have the ultra-conserva-tive view of the rights of private property, or who cling to the discreditel economic and social philosophy of exploitative and rugged individualism, will deny the right and power of tho Government to protect the masses against the destructive abuse of property rights. But reasonable men, including land owners themselves, wL' gladly recognise the right of any people to protect itself against self-des-truction. ’ ’ WORSHIP OF TREES. How beneficial it would be for New

Zea and if the people in the mass had the reverence for trees held by Indian tribes of Oaxaca. Mexico. “Among these tribes, “writes Don Glassman,

“as with many primitive people, tree worship is one of the bases of religion. It is a primitive instinct to endow the sun with fatherhood and the earth with motherhood, and to believe that the union of the sun and earth has given birth to trees. As the offspring of the gods, trees were considered god like and were worshipped with appropriate reverence. Such worship has persisted in Mexico down to this very day, despite the fact that many of the most sacred trees stand beside Churches of the Catholic faith. The fifteen tribes which inhabited the province of Oaxaca at the time of the Spanish Conquest believed that they were either born or descended from trees. ”

Ohl-time Maoris did nnt go as far as Indians of Mexico in the deification of trees, but they did deeply honour the forests, which were safe from profanation until Europeans came with steel and fire. Even before a tribe cut down a single tree for a canoe, there were ceremonies to propitiate the forest god Tane. A TEST FOR LEAGUE OF NATIONS. Perhaps people are not quite so hope ful as they were fifteen years ago about the power of the “League of Nations” to ensure world peace, but there are some less difficult tasks in which the League may be able to give effective help. The oil nuisance at sea—a spreading menace to life of birds and fish—has been referred tn the League. What will happen? Will the matter go to a committee or a commission, and vanish into a pigeon-hole? Probably not—because dire necessity is compelling some nations to have a willingness for action. Pleas for seabirds from a spiritual viewpoint won sympathy in some quarters, but they were made in vain. Rut there was a change of heart In some countries when vagrant oil began to ruin commercial fisheries. So it is reasonable to expect that the League may have some nek in this case. • . COSMOS FOR GOLDFINCHES. One of the prettiest sights of autumn is the flitting of goldfinches in a clump of cosmos. The birds do not harm the flowers, which emphasise the beauty of the visitors’ plumage. They are fond of the green seeds after the petals have fallen. Of course, if anybody wishes to save seed this can be easily done with coarse muslin. The goldfinches deserve a treat for they wage constant war on many seeds of weeds (including ragwort).