The Northern Advocate Daily “Northland First.” FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 1938. RESPECT FOR THE LANDSCAPE

Northern Advocate, 7 January 1938, Page 4

The Northern Advocate Daily “Northland First.” FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 1938. RESPECT FOR THE LANDSCAPE

Registered for transmission through the post as a Newspaper.

This is an age which is greatly taken up in keeping pace with its own inventions, and what if regards as developmental progress. In the battle with, the utilitarian, the aesthetic has increasing need for reinforcement. Transport has- been revolutionised. and this has brought about many changes in our conn tryside.

The demand is for roads, and where they go anything may happen. In Northland traffic ways penetrate the very best and most typical natural scenery, often with a boreal beauties fringing the metal itself. Especially is this so in such places as the Waipona Forest, the Mangamnka Gorge, and on the latter part of the Russell Road, where the highways wind through the midst of indigenous forest, the haunt of tni and the homo of delicate and rare flora.

Again, our marine drives arc made more picturesque and attractive by the proximity_ of polmtukawa, puriri and riniu, many of these gems of the Now Zealand bush standing on the roadside, or fringing the most popular of the sandy bays. Preservation Trust,

The very intimacy of Nature in such surroundings reposes a greater trust of preservation upon the privileged tourist and traveller. The landscape is an endowment or heritage that cannot lightly be trifled with ,or squandered. Local residents, more particularly, should have no difficulty in realising this truth to the utmost. A householder docs not willingly uproot an ornamental shrub or bush which he himself has planted. and watched grow in size and beauty The same care should be taken of Nature’s gifts, which are enjoyed not only by the individual but by the public as a whole. It is pleasing to record a greater awareness of the civic spirit in relation, to this matter. During the holiday season there have been few reports of destruction by beach and forest despoilers in Northland. Wanton Destruction,

However, one - particularly wanton case has come under our notice. A motor-car, containing a party of tourists, pulled up at a pretty nook half a mile on the Whangarei side of the old butter factory at Parua Bay, and the travellers were supplied with water by Whangarei. people, who had made an encampment there. The strangers declined an invitation to boil their billy over the fire which was already burning, stating that they preferred to make their own arrangements.

Next, morning the Whangarei campers awakened to see smoke and flames issuing from a particularly fine and venerable puriri tree. After relishing the shade and shelter which the tree had afforded to many hundreds of people like themselves, the tourists had abused their trust by bundling their fire in a hollow in its hole.

Of course, the tree had caught alight and by morning was at an advanced stage of destruction. The "Whangarei camper, assisted by Ids,wife and two county surfacemen, spent a couple of hours packing the smouldering bole with clay.

j Haphazard Carelessness. [ So there may be destroyed in a night the timber growth of a generation, and with it flic natural charm whi*h makes our resents so delightful and desirable. Haphazard carelessness on the part of the visitor, pre-eminently out for the maximum of fun with the minimum responsibility, rather than ruthlessness, accounts for most of the depredations on onr scenic routes and beaches. Northlanders should j guard their treasures jealously! and see that others do the same.