DESTRUCTION OF DEER

Southland Times, Issue 23678, 29 November 1938, Page 6

DESTRUCTION OF DEER

Vigorous Policy For Stewart Island

MINISTER DETERMINED ON EXTERMINATION

RETAINING “NEW ZEALAND IN ITS NATIVE STATE”

His determination to do all that was possible to exterminate the deer on Stewart Island and to preserve the island in its native state was expressed by the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry) in an interview with The Southland Times yesterday.

Mr Parry spent the week-end at the island with an official party, fulfilling a long-standing intention of securing first-hand knowledge of the damage caused there by deer, and he came back full of enthusiasm for the beauty of the island.

“I was impressed by its beauty from the time I came into the bay,” he said. “The entrance is magnificent, and with the foliage of the bush right dov/n to the water’s edge on the one side, and the beautiful Australian gums on the other side, it was an unforgettable sight. I noticed the caw-caws there in dozens, seeking the honey from the blossoms, which shows the importance of the trees to native bird life ” The ministerial party was met by Mr G. M. Turner (chairman of the Stewart Island County Council) and others, and afterwards paid a visit to Observation Point. That, Mr Parry said, was the first opportunity he had of. seeing the unique indentations of the island with its innumerable small beaches of goldcoloured sand, similar to that of Manly in Australia. The Minister spoke enthusiastically of a meal of boiled fish, freshly caught, and potatoes as a preliminary to a visit to Ulva, the island in Paterson Inlet. PIONEERS’ GRAVE ( His guides on this occasion were Messrs R. Traill and F. Woodrow, two of the department’s rangers, and he was taken first to see the old home of Mr Traill’s uncle, Mr Charles Traill, who was born on the island. A huge pinus muricata dominated the scene in front of the house, as if mounting guard. “From there,” Mr Parry said, “we went along a little path and there was the grave where the old people were buried. Old Mr Traill had prepared the grave for his wife and had later gone to rest beside her. It was a stimulating experience to see this headstone to pioneers who had died in their new country.” It was at Ulva that Mr Parry saw bush unspoiled by deer or man. “It was magnificent,” he said. “The rangers collected samples of the undergrowth that flourished there to show me, by comparison, the havoc that was wrought by deer, and there is no doubt that it makes one feel more enthusiastic about going the full distance in the destruction of deer. “After leaving Ulva we went for a long walk through the bush where the deer are. and on climbing to the top of a hill we saw where thousands of ferns had been destroyed, where bushes had been chewed up and where bark had been removed as high as the animals could reach. Undergrowth had been stripped bare.” DAMAGE BY RATS Another peculiar feature Mr Parry mentioned was the destruction of bush by rats. The rangers had shown him trees that had been stripped to the top by rats which had taken to chewing bark. It was found that the pigeons were eating things today that they did not touch in the past, and an interesting speculation rose whether a food change was taking place due to the shortage of certain berries. It might be that the rat was being starved for something it needed. It was a question worth investigating, and one that would be investigated. “I am absolutely convinced of the necessity for the destruction of deer,” Mr Parry declared, “and that the campaign must be pursued with even greater vigour if we are to preserve our splendid native bush. It is a wonderful asset from the point of view of the tourist traffic and it gives a clear idea of what New Zealand was like in its native state.” Mr Parry also spoke of the educational value of the island for boys and girls, adding that it was ideal for hiking parties. There should, he said, be tracks cut all round to make as many places as possible accessible to holiday makers. That would fit in splendidly with the physical fitness movement. He did not believe any part of the world was superior to Stewart Island from a cruising point of view. The formation of the island and its inlets formed a picture that everyone who loved cruising should see. WORK OF THE RANGERS The Minister paid a tribute to the department’s rangers who were, he said, doing good -work in'deer destruction. The denseness of the bush and the nature of the country made destruction a difficult job, and those men deserved every consideration from the Government and the people. He did not believe there was a finer body of men working with greater enthusiasm and honesty of purpose than the rangers who were engaged in conserving the flora and bird life. Captain G. F Yerex, who was in charge of that army of men, had a splendid grip of the organization necessary in planning campaigns in different parts of the country, and much of the success that had been achieved was due to him. “My idea is that Stewart Island should be conserved in its native state, with as little interference with the bush as possible,” the Minister concluded. “It should be the policy of the future to advertise it as ‘New Zealand in its native state.’ ”