The Timaru Herald. MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1909. SCENERY PRESERVATION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14040, 25 October 1909, Page 4

The Timaru Herald. MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1909. SCENERY PRESERVATION.

The report by the ■ DepartmentJ of Lands laid before, the House of Representatives a few days ago shows that steady and consistent progress '■ is still being made in the direction of acquiring areas of attractive forest lands .when Riich are not needed for settlement, but are well suited for holiday resorts. Up to the .list March last, 38;97G acres had been acquired. Most of the reserves are in the North Island,' and are varied as to' their, characteristics—■strips of forest, rook ''"formations,-" and , picturesque foreshores. The Department rightly 'represents these reservations as a national asset,'whoso present and future value it is almost impossible/ ! to place too high an estimate <upoh, yet they hare been acquired at omparatively trifling cost to the taxpayers v Beginning in a small way, in 1904,. £2OOO -was'■.spent,. 5 .'and by Variously increasing yearly .sums, this year the amount' came to £5765; and the grass amount spent on", beauty,' spots ''.''.* totalled £27,s69—considerably less'than £i.poi\acre of the land reserved* Rigid/ economy seems to hare been the 'watchword, for the Department has still no less than £72,323 of the. amounts-allo-cated by Parliament ' available' forj future purchases and maintenance, .In making reserves the Department has no : wish ,to-interfere-Svitli settlement, and only reserves those lands which cannot/well: Rupport'mo.ro than'a/compara.tivoly .'sparse/' .population, /, and 'From their :\ generally rugged character - are) hot well adapted for iiidits'ttia'l' purposesof any' kind-;.' wlrile/reservation/ prcrbtifs the destruction of. the ;riaiiye bush oil the hillsides that might tend.to :dajnagct lowlyirig lands 1 -and choke: up' 'streams that at' present run' down the galleys. ' it, appears': the ; itUport that particular "attention is ■at present being' paid Ho'/tho' resorvaition of beauty sp'ots along the route 'of the North Island main -trunk; railway, as this lino runs. through countrywhich is ,amohg the most: picturesque. hi /a, modest 'wa.y"in'.the'\wnqle v land.V; .Travellers have spoken.of ■' its: great beauty*, arid the Department is now engaged surveying'areas hear Ohakime, Tur'angarcro, and other places, c< ~ all iii'full.view of tho train, and winch ] aro looked Upon as " lungnificent examples of bush scenery." Other' areas, to come "under purcliasf thisi year'•'will be on the far-famed Wangaiiui river. As an example of the care the Department is* taking of tho areas already reserved, it' is highly interesting to read the annual.report of the inspector. It has been found necessary, to .rigidly exclude all cattle and sheep from them, , I'.r ii' this is not dene; ferns, young I ri.es, x :»nd all undergrowth qliickljj dis- ' appear, drying-"winds sweep in, : and ■si'M-mer or later the: big trees themselves die or are blown down. : 'Eveh farmers or station-owners in Caliterbury can take a valuable lesson from this idea of isolating bush country or artificial plantations on. l.'.'eir laiids; for it is widely believed that clumps of bush . will not survive when tho surrounding country is cleared. They certainly will not do so if stock are- allowed to roam at large in the bush; tho latter must be securely fenced, and then in tlie future may be expected 1 to '.bo a. monument of .-what tara'jariflj forethought will do; ' Eire is a''|re^ .jllinjjor, and Iho ..'tu-li precautions that despitiff™Hi;,dryhoss of lnsfc, stininihr; the clflmaiP'dpne compared...with previous yettrs/.was- very slight. /XV;e/;believe wo are. right In • • stating thai;''oiie of the best-known/ station-owners, near Timarii liitd to close '■ Gordon's Bush '■•' to the piibijc owing to the carelessness of picnic parties; in not seeing that the: lire Which boiled the hilly was not quenched.': before lear-, • ing for liomo;. and tliat tlijs beauty spot had more than once /run tb/e risk■.,.-, of being destroyed owing tb such carelessness. Still another" primary object of the Scenery Pfese'rrdtion BofertV |is to provide sanctuaries birds. Many of these are fast becoming rare, and to mention only one, * tho native pigeon has in the past/been slaughtered wholesale -.until it '"ik, now , extremely scarce; A decided stop*''s now put to this 1 ; in some of'"tha bigger reserves,! and it/is gratifying ;ib learn that Owners ofadjoining, jfiinds arc heartily helping the Deparicinen fc in their efforts to protect bird 'lifer'Vif every kind. Taken altogether^,/the Lands Department are to bo/warmly;, congratulated on what they -are and tho people ' q'f ' the coltiriy when visiting the "reserved .areas',''.,' should bo proud of their national asset nndl over remember to loyally \ "f>rptocb their own property,"