OUR BEAUTY SPOTS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 243, 11 September 1933, Page 6

OUR BEAUTY SPOTS.

There is a steadily growing conscience that the beauty spots that remain from the waste of axe and fire should be for ever preserved to the country. Recently, the Waitemata County Council resolved to take action to prevent the despoliation of areas of natural beauty within its confines on the shores of Manukau harbour. It appears that vandalism has led to the destruction of young pohutukawa trees, while others have been mutilated, by the removal of their vegetation. This tree, which is- much better known in the noxfih than in these parts of the country, is one of the glories of the Christmas season, with its rich crimson blooms that excite the admiration of all. The vogue of the motor car, it has been pointed out, has placed the bush that has escaped destruction at the mercy of the despoiler, who can gather the choicest specimens and carry them away in . a quantity that amounts to nothing more than vandalism. Another protest against actual and threatened destruction of bush comes from Rotorua. A telephone line constructed from Rotorua to Waikaremoana has resulted in alleged “unnecessary damage to bush,” and now the Maori owners intimate that they intend clearing a large area of the country for settlement purposes. This bush, of striking beauty, graces one of the finest scenic drives in New Zealand — into the heart of the Urewera country and its destruction would be ever a matter for regret. Moreover, it has been pointed out that the country is not the best suited for settlement, and with the removal of the forest the soil on the hillsides would be washed into the valleys, while the flood menace would be increased many fold. Were the bush removed, engineers too have pointed out, the road would be subjected to the menace of slips in wet weather, thereby greatly increasing the cost of maintenance. The preservation of the forest that remains is a duty that cannot be lightly estimated, and. if the decision of the Maoris is reported correctly they should be convinced that not only is the proportion of benefit to themselves problematical, but that a great scenic asset will be lost forevei.