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Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16506, 6 August 1919, Page 2

If Mr. Somplo wishes to he token seriously he will have to alter his present childish methods of controversy, which prove nothing except that ho has a perfect genius for inaccurate statement. Some time ago Mr. M'Villy, general manager of railways, stated that since tho reduction in the railway service had been adopted tho reserves of coal had fallen from 12,000 tons to 8000 tons. Mr. Semple, on tho strength of private information ho had received, wrote to the press alleging that there were largo stocks at various points between AA’cllington and Franktou Junction, and 3000 tons at AA'ellington alone. He said that with these supplies in stock there was no need for the reduction in the railway service, and demanded a public inquiry. Mr. AI'AHIIy replied with figures showing that the coal supplies at Palmerston and elsewhere were much smaller than alleged by Mr. Semple, and that at AVellington tho amount was only 500 tons. The total in stock was 8000 tons, as ho had previously stated. Now- here was a real chance for Mr. Semple; all he had to do was to go down to the Wellington station and prove that there was six times as much coal there as the general manager said. Of course, Air. Semple did not do this, but merely repeated his charges that there was not tho shortage of coal which Air. APVilly alleged to exist and that a public inquiry was the only way to satify him and a large section of tho community. It is easy to understand that Mr. Semple wishes the public to believe that there is more coal available than is actually the case, but people are not quite so easily deceived as he seems to believe.

There is a strong feeling locally that the bush portion of the property recently acquired by the Government from the late Mr. Saxton should be set aside as a permanent scenic reserve. The property was bought by tho Government; it is understood, for the purpose of subdivision into small suburban holdings for returned soldiers. The portion still in virgin bush is, however, not at all suited for the purpose and it will be immensely more valuable to the community if the native forest is preserved than if this is destroyed and thei land cut up into allotments. Every acre of virgin forest within reasonable distance of New Plymouth should be jealously preserved. The area in question actually adjoins

the borough and before many years have passed the residential area, will have spread round and beyond 11. Then its value will be more generally nj ')'> •’ elated than at present. Vi'lnd, Imw over, is everybody's business is no body’s business; hence the dldh-idl.y el initiating a movement to have lln-lundi preserved. The most satisl'acOny (■lnn would perhaps be for the borough to inquire the bush from the Government and make it a municipal domain, I mi. the Borough Council has its hands lull in a financial sense and may mil. Indisposed to take the necessary idep:, while money is so urgently required lor more material purposes. U a mild scarcely be a fair thing to appeal l.u the generosity and public spirit nf citizens to provide the money required to purchase the land—assuming that the Government would soil—because in sucli cases it is usually the .same people who subscribe, while, the great majority reap tho benefit without cost. Under tho circumstances it seems to us that tho best thing to do is to petition the Government to withhold from settlement the area in question for the time being, while some scheme for its future administration is worked out. Possibly tho best plan would be to make it a scenic reserve and place it under tho control of the Scenic Hcserves Board, which would have it securely fenced and kept clean. Ultimately, perhaps, when Now Plymouth extends beyond there the reserve might bo taken over by the borough. However, these are matters of detail; the first thing is to secure the bush from immediate spoliation, and that might be best done by petition to the Government.