TROUNSON KAURI PARK.

Northern Advocate, 2 December 1921, Page 6

TROUNSON KAURI PARK.

FORMALLY HANDED OVER.

AN IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY.

It was a very big assembly that visited the Kauri Park at Ivaihu by train and motor-car on Wednesday. The Gov-ernor-General and Lady Jellicoe reached the forest about mid-day and luncheon was served without delay. The Northern Wairoa Scenic Club had spared no pains in catering for the guests, and the result was that in the heart of this mighty forest, under the largest tree, the appetites of a large number of people, made keen with travel, were satisfied. At the conclusion of luncheon the president of the club, Mr A. E. Harding, called upon Sir Francis Bell to speak. MR TROUNSON'S GIFT. Sir Francis stated! that somewhat more than twelve months ago there was an assembly in the park similar to that of that day, but not graced by the presence of their Excellencies. At that gathering the residents met him and endeavoured to persuade him to take over this great forest as a national park. His reply had been that he would have to move. Mr Massey, and, if possible, get the key of the Treasury Chest, but he found Mr Massey perhaps more anxious than either the Wairoa people or himself to acquire this beautiful bush. The offer formerly made by Mr Trounson was then repeated, and the Government consented to the purchase. To-day the final act in the acquirement of this property by the Government, namely, the delivery of the title deeds, would take place. From the first Mr Trounson had not desired to have his name associated with the gift. Mr Trounson had himself named the forest "Kauri Park," and had later on made an addition to his original offer, but his name remained unassociated with it. Since then Mr Trounson had sold an adjoining area of 050 acres to the Crown at considerably less than half its value.

"When you consider," added Sir Francis, "that Mr Trounson's gift is considerably in excess of £40,000 in value, you will realise what a sacrifice he has made.'' But, added the speaker, he hoped it would not be lost to him. From a "persecutor" of the forest he had become a "silent apostle" for its preservation.

These great trees had witnessed every e'vent in history for many centuries past, said Sir Francis. They had witnessed the good and the bad, and would now remain a monument to him who gave them, and when the present generations passed away they would still stand forth to inspire the generations yet unborn. This memorial of the intent to preserve the forest he wished to mark in some unmistakable way; he wanted to record the year, if" pot the week, when the gift was made, and to that end he had asked the conservator of the forest to measure the ' trees within a circumscribed area recording their dimensions and to keep such record in the forest in order tha,t from time to time the trees could be re-measured and their growth calculated from the date of Mr Trounson's gift. As the old . passed away and the young took their place, so it was with the forest. In the course of age the oldest of the trees would have fulfilled their mission here on earth and would give place to the rising generations. Even now, there were the young trees of the future before them. When the older generations were gone they would be there to take their place and would last hundreds and probably thousands of | years. Sir Francis declared that he also was an apostle of the conservation of the trees. Turning to his Excellency, he said: "I ask you, on behalf of the Government of New Zealand, to accept this gift for the King, and in doing so may I siiggest that you prefix the name Trounson to that of Kauri Park and call it the Trounson Kauri Park." (Applause.) THE DONOR'S DESIRE. Mr Trounson, in beautiful language and, in a noble and reverent manner, expressed his gratitude to Sir Francis Bell for the very kind remarks made by him. Seventy-four years ago, he said, looking back, he could see a little Cornish boy walking two miles to work for 4d in the mines and his presence there to-day showed how the great Pilot had piloted 'his frail barque. That same Pilot had planted these giant trees more than a thousand years before he came and had piloted them through the ages that had gone in order that the people of to-day might see His handiwork. It had been his great privilege to act as caretaker of this forest. He had done his best to preserve these trees for humanity, and if they, both now and in the future, brought pleasure for others he was satisfied; he asked nothing more. i "It is," ho concluded, "the great- , est honour of my life to pass over 1 llti'so deeds," and so saving he placed < the document in the hands of his Excel- ' lency, amidst great applause.

THE GIFT ACCEPTED. His Excellcncy the Governor-General said that it was a pleasure, an honour and a great privilege to take part in this crowning act of magnificent munificence by Mr Trounson. He urged his hearers to trust the same Pilot Who had' piloted the little Cornish lad, and he expressed the hope that they would all be piloted by the same Pilot. "Heaven helps those who help themselves, and I will guarantee that Mr Trounson has (lone much to help both himself and others throughout his life. His reward comes to-day, when the people of New Zealand are looking to him in gratitude for his great gift." His Excellency went on to say that he thought it would be quite wrong if the park were to be accepted under any name other than the Trounson Kauri Park. "I therefore," he continued, "open it as the Trounson Kauri Park, and I hope all those thousands who come to this park in the future will spend as happy a time here as her Excellency and I are doing to-day." "No one," he concluded, "can come to this park without thinking of Him who made these trees and of him who gave them to this Dominion." In handing over the deeds to Sir Francis Bell, his Excellency expressed the hope that the Trounson Kauri Park would be preserved in a proper manner for the people of this Dominion for all time. AN OLD FRIEND SPEAKS. Sir Edwin Mitchelson said that it gav. him great pleasure to be present to witaess the opening of this magnificent park. The giver and he had been friends for "over 50 years and ihe knew that in giving this park to the people of New Zealand Mr Trounson .was doing what lie had been doing all his life; he was being guided by the same noble influences that had been the mainspring of all his actions. They were very fortuna'te in having Sir Francis Bell as the Minister in charge of forestry at this time, and he would venture to say that had it not been for him it was quite possible that the Government might, not have accepted the park. The Dominion, said Sir Edwin, was passing 'through a time of great depression and it was not an easy matter to find money for a purpose of this kind, but it might not be long before New Zealand was as prosperous again as it had been some time ago. Had it not been for Mr Massey's choice in handing over the reins of government to Sir Francis during hiis absence at Hone he was fearful of what would have happened. Sir Francis found the Treasury chest leaking and sat upon it, and when Mr Massey returned he found the chest not quite empty, and tie condition of the country was a credit to Sir Francis. He was a greater source of strength than many people realised, and the speaker hoped tliat he would live long to carry out schemcs of afforestation and instead of condemning the kauri as a slow growing tree he hoped he would try planting it. Everyone who had. any knowledge of 'the growth of trees would admit that the kauri was a slow growing tree, for twenty years, but after it was twenty years old i't was one of the fastest growing trees in the Dominion. He also hoped that other trees such as the puriri and »the totara would claim the attention of the Minister. He had himself grown kauri trees and i found them not at all difficult 'to rear.

Sir Edwin congratulated Mr Trounson on giving this beautiful forest to the Dominion and congratulated his Exco lloncy upon being the person to hand the gift over to the care and keeping of Sir Francis Bell. THE VISITORS' GRATITUDE. The Hon. George Fowlds said that it was a great honour 'to be present on this historic occasion. The gift 'by Mr Trounson almost certainly secured to the people of this Dominion for all time this great reserve. The occasion was historical also because this gift -would be an encouragement to others to do as Mr Trounson had done. There was an opportunity for all *of seeing then one of 'the great sights of the world. He had travelled all over the word and he knew of nothing equal to ■this magnificent forest. The visitors that day were gmteful 'to the members of the Scenic Clu'b for their kindness in asking them to be present on this occasion and for their hospitality while they were here. "HANDS OFF THE PARK." Mr A. E. Harding, chairman of the Scenic Club, said that the club had done their best to make the stay of their visitors a pleasant one, and he hoped that on some future occasion they would see them all back again. He also desired to thank their Excellencies for the honour they had done the club in coming to open the park. They felt more than repaid for any trouble they had taken because of the presence of their Excellencies. They were the representatives of the King, and his Excellency was the GovernorGeneral of New Zealand.. Theirs was a far-flung Empire, which was bound by invisible chains, some of the links of which occasionally became visible. Their Excellencies were two of tho?c links which were visible before thcia

that day. Their .presence reminded him that a few .short years ago when mothers and fathers said good-bya to | their sons with smiles on their lips and anguish in their hearts, nothing gave them so much comfort as the thought that the British Navy ruled the sea. They had in New Zealand children v/iio said, "thank God and the British Navy for our dinner." It was their confidence in the Navy which filled them all with hope and with the certainty thar sooner or later victory would <crown the efforts of their sons. They tvere proud, then, to have with them that day one who commanded the Navy that inspired them all with confidence. The watchword of the Northern Wairoa Scenic Club, added Mr Harding, would now be, "Hands off the Iviuvi Park." So long as Sir Francis Bell was in charge of the forestry there was nothing to fear, but others might arise who would not value the paTk, and should that time ever come the Northern Wairoa Scenic Club would move New Zealand rather than that anything untoward should be .allowed in connection with their heritage. He wanted all present to make this cry, "Hands off the Park," their witchword also, because the park was a national one. Mr Harding concluded by remarking that he had .noticed in the papers news of a Royal betrothal at home. Bet.hrothaJs, he said, usually ended in marriage, and he would ask his Excellency when that happy event was consummated to invite the Royal Princess and her consort to the Trounson Kauri Park to spend their honeymoon.