PARITUTU.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17117, 12 April 1921, Page 7

PARITUTU.

TO Tire EDITOR OF "THE yilM." Sir;— In your "general news" this morning I read of the first shot being fired to secure rock from Paritutu for harbour extension works. I gather, too, from your notes, that further efforts are to be made to secure the demolition of that historic pinnacle, and that the engineer considers the results justify the action. Well, Mr Editor, for all ordinary purposes, _ I have no difficulty in finding expression in the vocabulary at my command, but on this oocasion I am unabjp to even convey my sorrow for destruction of . Paritutu, or my contempt for those to whom we owe the action. Beally, I did not think we had in New Zealand a local authority so devoid of aesthetic soul as to even pro-' pose, leave alone carry into execution, such a measure; nor did I think our Premier and Parliament would tolerate such vandalism. Surely New Zealanders as a whole have some right to be considered, when it comes to destroying historic features. This is a case of utilitarianism running riot, and calls for the intervention of all right thinking people from the North Cape to the Bluff. lam a New Zealander, and as one who lov.es every rugged characteristic of all the many we possesß, and particularly those standing right in the forefront, I cannot let the destruction of Paritutu, with its _ memories of Dicky Barret, pa® without at least saying I abhor the circumstance, and would ask you to lift your pen before it js altogether too late, and draw Parliament's attention to the crime.— Yours, etc., T. E. L. ROBERTS.