ONE TREE HILL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22193, 21 August 1935, Page 15

ONE TREE HILL

Sir, —If some of our men of vision had been with me on my visit with a tourist to One Tree Hii) they would have faced facts which are stubborn things. When we reached the eminence it was a clear sunny day and, being a New Zealander, 1 felt proud of this national heritage bequeathed to us by an old city father of vision. I felt exalted by what I saw —"where distance lends enchantment to the view. Turn to any point of the compass, the expansive beauties of sky, sea, hills and dells are only limited by your power of vision. I held my head high. Then suddenly my tourist companion brought me to earth with this question: "Why do the people responsible for the care of your noble heritage allow those cattle and horses down there to break down the native bush and shrubs when it could be so easily conserved." That was a poser—but a fact. I do not know; do youP On our way back I was subdued and silent when my tourist companion woke me up with another question. Just as we were passing a labourer who was digging into scoria on some rising ground and undermining some cabbage tree palms which adorned the park he asked me —Why does that man destroy the beauty of nature by breaking out scoria when at a short distance there are heaps of it already defacing the landscape? Another poser. I do not know; do you? Native.