Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE,'WEDNESDAY. APRIL 8, 1914 SAVE THE BUSH.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13351, 8 April 1914, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE,' WEDNESDAY. APRIL 8, 1914 SAVE THE BUSH.

A strong plea should go from this district to the Government urging them to use every endeavor m their power to save the bush around Lake Waikaremoana. The days are not far distant when, with the East Coast railway through from Gisborne to Napier W>ikaremoana will be made accessible to its thousands, where it now lias its hundreds of visitors m a season. It will becomo one of the great shov*/ places of the North Island to be seen >by every tourist visiting the Dominion. The charm' of the great "Sea of Sparkling Waters-:*" is its glorious setting of primitive native bush. In the days to conic — a generation hence, perhaps — when native busk has been obliterated from most other parts of the North Island, people will journey for many miles to the great upland region of Waikaremoana to scent the delights of whatever remnant of tjie New Zealand forest is preserved m that locality. The Forestry Commission which toured New Zealand last year recognised this, and m its report issued the following recommendation : — Lake Waikarenfioana: This proposed reservation is important both from its preserving the great beauty of the scenery and its helping to conserve the water-supply of the lake. We recommend that all the land from the water to tlie skyline be made a scenic reserve. We also consider it very necessary that a resident caretaker be appointed, and would suggest that the** keeper of the boarding-house near the lake be offered the post at a small retaining fee. lt would be well that the caretaker should have the powers of a Crown Lands Ranger. "From the water to tho skyline" is a good recommendation, Which should entail no great expenditure on the part of the Government. It is necessary for the Crown to acquire a strip round the lake now m Native occupation, and wherever clearings liave been made A these being m an increasing area every year, quite spoiling the aspect of the scenery — to allow tlie country to go back into Native vegetation. We fear tjhere may be some difficulty m persuading the Government to do thi?, as, 'we are informed, Mr Massey has shown a hone too sympathetic ,iriterest m the desire of the people at Wanganui to preserve the glories of that river from water's edge to skyline throughout its whole length, it being his idea that settlement ia more valuable than trees, but no one not" having the soul of a vandal could view, with unconcern the ruthless destruction of the bush setting to this magnificent Jake m the hills. We would urge tlie strongest representations from the Chamber of Commerce, and that- the assistance of the recently formed New Zealand Bird and Forest Preservation Society be solicited. Gisborne has much to gain from Waikaremoana. Apart from the pleasure and health that will be afforded to local residents at a resort/s o easy of access, there wilt be •actual profit to the community m tlie development of the tourist traJBSo which must steadily 'set m this' wrfy once the railway is opened. Whilst on this subject we must express disappointment at the reply of the Hon. Heaton Rhodes to the representations made from Wairoa regarding the inadequacy of the accommodation at l>ake House! The suggestion that more tents should bo obtained to house tourists during the busy season may seem to the Minister an easy way .out of tho -difficult'; but any of hi* friends who have visited the lake will be able to tell him tliat' Waikaremoana is deserving of something better than this, and that for the credit nf the •State tbe present accommodation house should certainly be enlarged and made more comfortable. It is to be hoped that the Hon. Mr Rhodes may bo persuaded during the next summer to pay a visit to Waikaremoana. Ho would then nurely become- an enthusiast and realise the need for adequate development of this splendid, resort.