BEAUTIES OF NATURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20420, 23 November 1929, Page 10

BEAUTIES OF NATURE.

I'BESERVATION CAMPAIGN.

WAR ON THE VANDALS*

"HORRORS OF BUNGALOID."

[from our own correspondent.! LONDON, Oct. 18. A national conference for the Preservation of the Countryside is meeting in Manchester. The Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, the president, in his address, said that a great deal of damage had been done during the -.past twelve months.Hundreds of thousands of trees had been needlessly cut down. On the other side, public opinion was more strong, more determined,' and better directed. People were conscious that rural England was threatened in every direction. "We should understand clearly," the speaker added, "that statutory powers exist that are never enforced. It is nob go much Parliament that is to blame 33 local authorities in not using the power 3 that Parliament has given them." Lord Bledisloe, in an address on National Parks, declared that they were powerful national buttresses against vandalism of every description. There were many, he continued, who could not visualise a National Park, at least in this country, as a real sanctuary for birds, butterflies, badgers, and harebells without its inevitable violation, on the advent of collective humanity by broken bottles, beanos, banana skins, a;;id banjos. (Laughter.) But that was contrary to the now large experience of the United States and Canada. Occasional vandalism undoubtediy occurred, but to an everlessening extent. There developed, almost unconsciously, an inclination to be protector and ultimately an amateur policeman rather than a rapacious robber of nature's treasures, j Protecting Flowers and Bird 3. During the last few months several sites had been suggested as suitable for national parks in different parts of Great Britain, said Lord Bledisloe, including the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland, and the region known as Snowdonia in Wales. -It would be difficult to find any presenting highe.r claims to consideration than that of the Forest of De«n, in his own neighbourhood, in Gloucestershire, in spite of the fact that it contained coal mines, which in most cases were hidden among forest verdure until near approach disclosed them. Lord Grey of Fallodon, who was the first speaker on "The Preservation of Fauna and Flora," said the best way of furthering the protection of birds was, he thought, to give support to the Hoyal Society for the Protection of Birds. Its activity was by no means confined to the protection of rare birds through the beneficial services of its watchers saving them from extinction; it also worked through the schools, so as to get the lisirig generation brought up to a humane and interested point of view, so that they were more concerned to observe the life than to bring about the death of birds. " Ribbon " Development.

•' Mr. Herbert Morrison, the Minister of Transport, in a speech at Woolwich appealed to all the local authorities of Britain to use all the powers they possess to save the countryside from the horrors of bungaloid and "ribbon" development.Lord Lytton, president of the Garden City and Town Planning Association, in an interview with a press representative, urged that definite measures must be taken without delay to stop the erection of unsightly buildings along the arterial roads, and suggested that- increased powers m~4y be necessary. "The countryside," he said, "is being terribly disfigured, and if 'ribbon' development—which means a string of ugly little houses —is goimg to spread out along these arterial roads the whole countryside will be spoiled. Bulding development should take place in villages and towns properly planned, away from these roads and connected with them by secondary roads 05 lanes."