PUKETITIRI BUSH

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 149, 13 June 1930, Page 9

PUKETITIRI BUSH

MOVEMENT FOR PRESERVATION NOT SUPPORTED BY BOR (HI CH COUNCIL. MOTION OF SUPPORT DEFEATED. The question of preserving the Puketitiri Bush, and Ball’s Clearing, was raised at the meeting of tho Hastings Borough Council last evening when the secretary of the Puketitiri Bush Preservation Committee wrote intimating that his committee would be grateful if the council would give its support and .assistance to the movement by passing a resolution in favour of the etforts and forward same to the Minister in charge of State forests. To give the discussion a lead, the Mayor (Mr. G. F. Roach) moved as follows:—"That the council strongly supports the efforts being made by the Puketitiri Bush Preservation Committee to have tho native bush at Puketitiri saved from destruction, the council being of opinion that this bush is not only a local, but also a national asset as a beauty spot, and will, in all probability in the future, be on the main route to the northern portion of the North Island, and thereby be a joy' to travellers by this route, as well as to the local population. The council considers that it would be a calamity for this bush to be destroyed.”

In seconding this Cr. W. J. Lyon said that when he brought the matter before the ‘Harbour Board, the response was unanimously in favour of the preservation of the bush, which he maintained would be a decided asset io Hastings and Napier. Cr. C. H. Slater said he did not' think it v;as the unanimous wish of the people of Hastings. He was inclined to believe that the. bush was not the great scenic value it was said to be, and it certainly was of great commercial value. It was hardly fair to ask tire Government to sacrifice such a large amount for so small a thing.. . Cr. Lyon pointed out that if the bush was now worth £17,000 it would appreciate in value if preserved for a time.

The Mayor: The hardest part will be to find other bush suitable for milling purposes to the millers. I ani quite easy on the matter of tlris resolution. Cr. R. Baker; I do not think we should support the motion. YVo should allow the timber to be sold and then have the properties cut up for settlement.

Cr. T. Donovan expressed his desire to be neutral as he was, to a certain extent, an interested party. Cr. Lyon added that twelve months ago ho visited the locality with a prominent botanist who declared, at the time, that the flora there was pecrflUr to the Puketitiri bush itself aud could not be found elsewhere in New Zealand. The same authority described the bush as a "botanist’s paradise” and voiced tb« opinion thnt in a few years, if the bush was preserved, children from many parts of the North Island would make a pilgrimage to Puketitiri to gain first-hand knowledge of flora.

The Mayor said that at the recent meeting he called in Hastings there were over 130 present, and there was not one dissentient voice. It was very obvious that the majority of the people in Hastings thought that the bush should ue precervwr. Cr. J. Simmons.: It is asking for a lot and not paying much,in return. Cr. P. Loach also desired to be neutral as he considered he was not a competent juclge, not having visited the locality. Cr. R. Henderson: 1 do not know a great deal about the bush, never having been to it, but as a meeting was called, and it was the unanimous wish of that gathering, then I will support the motion. If there were any objections, theu they should, and could, have been voiced at the meeting. The motion, on being put to the meeting, was defeated by four votes (Crs. C. H. Slater, G. W. B, McCormick, R. Baker, and J. Simmons) to two (Crs. W. J. Lyon- and R. Henderson),