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of provisional State forest land, totalling 9,975 acres, were declared to be set apart as scenic reserves. The lands so dealt with, comprise generally the whole of the northern slopes of the Cook and Fox Valleys visible from the Weheka Hostel and the Main South Road, and also sufficient additional area to include Lakes Gibbs, Gault, Mueller, and Matheson, together with a strip of land 10 chains in width along both sides of the road to Gillespie's Beach. The areas are unsuitable for settlement purposes, and have been set apart under the Scenery Preservation Act with the approval of the State Forest Service. It is considered that the scenic reservations in the vicinity of the Fox Glacier should be on a generous scale, and it may be mentioned that, in addition to the areas referred to above, arrangements were made during the year for the surrender of various portions of Crown leaseholds which it is desired should be brought under the Scenery Preservation Act. Action for the permanent reservation of these areas is now in hand, and the thanks of the Department are due to those Crown lessees who gave willing co-operation in the matter. Other Westland reservations included some 28 acres at Turiwhate ; 21 acres of freehold at Waitaha (Ferguson's Block), purchased from a private owner ; 359 acres of land on the Greymouth-Mitchells Eoad acquired after protracted negotiations, in which the State Forest Service gave valuable assistance ; and three small areas at Cobden, Greymouth, and Waitaha. Two small reservations were made in the Canterbury Land District, one of which comprised closed road and severance areas added to the Rosewill Scenic Reserve on the Pareora River, and the other an area of 15| acres on the Glendore Creek, a tributary of the Selwyn. In the latter case the area concerned was State forest land made available by the State Forest Service for reservation under the Scenery Preservation Act. The bush extends over adjoining freehold land also, and arrangements are being made to have some 20 acres of the freehold bush declared a private scenic reserve under the Scenery Preservation Amendment Act, 1933. In the Otago District a small area of bush lying between the road and Catlins Lake was set apart with the object of preserving a large number of ratas and kowhais, which are much admired when in bloom. An area of 350 acres in the Catlins District was also dealt with by addition to the Table Hill Scenic Reserve. The only reservation made in Southland was that of an area of 240 acres on the Waituna Creek in Oteramika Hundred. The reserve contains about 35 acres of mixed forest, the balance being swampy land in manuka and other growth, and will make a valuable sanctuary for native birds. The areas set apart during the year may be roughly classified as follows : — Area Class of Land. (Acres). State forest areas made available .. .. .. .. .. 16,649 Crown land areas .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 10,515 Buller Coal Field Reserve areas .. .. .. .. 7,100 Private land acquired by Department with assistance of Bruce Trustees .. 1,700 Private and native land acquired by Department .. .. .. 81 Private land purchased by means of public subscriptions .. .. 76 Land held under deferred payment license acquired by Department with assistance of State Forest Service in disposing of certain timber rights 335 Railway land made available . . .. .. .. .. 12 Total.. .. .. .. .. .. .. 36,468 It will be seen from the above that State forest areas take a prominent place in the reservations made during the year, and I am deeply indebted to the Director of Forestry and his officers for their willing assistance at all times in scenic matters. The reservation over scenic reserve areas totalling 1,364 acres was revoked during the year. An area of some 1,322 acres near Lake Okareka, which had been set apart with other areas in the vicinity in 1930, was found on a careful investigation being made to comprise practically all open country suitable for development and settlement, and arrangements were therefore made to cancel the scenic reservation. It has since been disposed of to the Native Department for use with other lands in connection with a Native-land-development scheme. The reservation over the Huatoki Scenic Reserve of nearly 10 acres was revoked by section 12 of the Reserves and other Lands Disposal Act, 1936, and the land made part of the Huatoki Domain. A revoking Proclamation was also issued over an area of approximately 31 acres in the Longwood District, Southland. The bush had been destroyed by fires, and as there was no prospect of regeneration it was considered inadvisable to retain the scenic reservation. The number of scenic reservations in the Dominion is now 1,030, covering a total area of over 740,000 acres. Scenery Preservation Board. Meetings of the Scenery Preservation Board were held to consider scenic matters in the North Auckland, Auckland, Taranaki, Wellington, Nelson, Marlborough, Westland, Canterbury, Otago, and Southland Land Districts, and thirty-one recommendations were submitted by the Board to His Excellency the Governor-General for the acquisition and reservation of areas of scenic and historic interest throughout the Dominion under the provisions of the Scenery Preservation Act. Supervision of Reserves. During the year special scenic Boards were appointed or reappointed as follows : The Dunedin City Council, to control the Waipori Falls Scenic Reserves ; the Ohakune Borough Council, to control the Ohakune Scenic Reserve ; the Akaroa County Council, to control the Otepatotu Scenic Reserve ; the Taumarunui Borough Council, to control two reserves at Taumarunui; the Northcote Borough

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