THE BUSH AT ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9344, 30 October 1893, Page 3

THE BUSH AT ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—The other day, when riding past the bush belonging to St. John's College and lying just beyond Orakei, I saw that a great deal more of it had been cut down lately, and that men were then busy cutting down beautiful trees for firewood, while most of those left standing last year had been killed by the tree tops and manuka being burnt off beneath them. Can nothing be done to stay this wanton destruction of the last native bush left standing near the city ? Beautiful trees and ferns which can never be replaced. In Taranaki they have a " Scenery Preservation Society." Cannot one be started here to try and save what natural beauties are still left to us, and to raise a small sumsomething more than the value of the firewood —to induce the trustees to let the trees stand ? In your report of the meeting of the Diocesan Synod of the 23rd instant, I see that over £1800 is standing to the credit of the Selwyn Memorial Fund, and this at the very time when his beautiful and cherished trees are being cut down for firewood with the sanction of the very men who were entrusted with their care. So much .for trusts. In a letter on the subject, in your paper of the 6th December last, written by Mr. William Atkin, of Tamaki West, an (old friend of the Bishop's and an ex-trustee. He says that Bishop Selwyn has told me over and over again of the pleasure and satisfaction it had given him to be in a position to hand over the keeping of this patch of natural bush to the Cnurch of England, as it added so materially to the Natural beauties surrounding Auckland." I am afraid that if the poor Bishop was living now he would find that his most appropriate memorial was fast disappearing, and that he had only added unwittingly to the long list of cases of misplaced confidence in Auckland. , -lam, etc., Anti Goth. |