PRESERVATION OF THE POHUTUKAWA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11539, 26 November 1900, Page 3

PRESERVATION OF THE POHUTUKAWA.

The Rev. Archdeacon Walsh, of Waimate North, has written tc the Scenery Conservation Society on the subject of the preservation of the puhutukawa tree, and Mr. A. J. AJlom has forwarded to us his letter for publication. In doing so, Mr. Allom says: - "Archdeacon Walsh truly describes our beautiful/pohutukawa tree as one of the principal ornaments of the coastline, and my OAvn experience for nearly 40 years has often caused me to regret that some efficient steps are not taken to arrest the wanton and continuous destruction that is taking place. .The facts are so notorious that no confirmation is needed. The Archdeacon's letter will be laid before the committee on Mondav, December 3, when L trust it wdl be fully discussed. Its publication now may perhaps cause some members of the committee to attend the meeting, and interest themselves in the matter, who might not otherwise do so, and as the committee will then probably adjourn until February, I hope members will see the importance of losing no time, as the dry season is coming on, by taking some precautionary measures prior to the adjournment. Various means will no doubt be suggested for checking the mischief. As I shall be unable to attend the meeting, I may be permitted to say here that Government assistance might be invoked, and, if required, legislative action might be obtained; and. in the meantime, the county councils and other local bodies might be asked to cooperate with the society in such manner and in such localities as may be deemed advisable." The following is Archdeacon Walsh s letter : — Waimate North, November 21, 1900. The lion, secretary Auckland Scenery Conservation Society. Dear Sir,—Will you kindly convey my thanks to your committee for the honour they have done me in appointing mc their corresponding member. As a first instalment of my duties as such, I would draw the attention of the committee to a point, which, in our efforts to preserve the natural beauty of the country, has, I think, escaped the attention it deserves. I allude to the thoughtless destruction, of the pohutukawa tree, one of the principal ornaments of our coastline. The summer season is rapidly approaching, and yachting, fishing, and picnic parties will in a few weeks be the order-of the day. These naturally choose the most beautiful points on the coast, or, in other words, those where the pohutukawa most abounds. It is commonly the practice to pitch the camp for lunch and afternoon tea under the grateful shade of one of these beautiful trees, arid to pile up a big fire of dry drift wood in dangerous proximity to its spreading roots. It thus frequently happens that on a breezy day a spark lodges in the scales of the bark, and before the fire can be arrested, the trunk and branches are wrapped in flames. In this way a fine specimen, in a most conspicuous spot at Paihia, Bay of Islands, was destroyed last year at a picnic party; and a couple of years ago the same thing happened at the adjacent island of Motumaire, where a party of Maori fishermen had made their camp. Ido not doubt that many similar instances might be cited if one were to look round, and as population becomes more numerous, the evil will proportionately increase, unless precautions* are taken in time. The question of prevention is no doubt a very difficult one. As the public have not yet risen to much appreciation of scenic beauty, and well-meant efforts at coercion sometimes only arouse a spirit of opposition, which results; in the perpetration of the mischief one hopes to arrest, I ask tho committee,, however, to take this matter into their serious consideration, and hope that they will be able to devise some means of checking the mischief.—l am, etc., Philip Walsh."