Ratepayers' Plea: "Spare Our Birds and Trees!"

Chronicle (Levin), 9 June 1949, Page 4

Ratepayers' Plea: "Spare Our Birds and Trees!"

Protesting against the "proposed clearance and possible sale" of the reserve in front of the lake in Waimea Road, Waikanae Beach, Mr. R.- A. Nichol and nine others forwarded a petition to yesterday's meeting of the Horowhenua County Council. "This reserve is a little beauty spot and shouid be preserved," stated the petition. "It is also the home of. numerous varieties of birds, including the fantail and, as is well-known to all nature students, birds, . especially fantails, play a most important part in the economic life of New Zealand." •Continuing, the petitioners added: "We want to stress the fact that we think beauty spots in this or any area shouid be cultivated and preserved, not depleted or cut down. "The beautiful trees in this particular little spot have taken years to become established, and to ruthlessly cut them down and have an uhinteresting strip of swampy ground exposed in their place seems to us to be a grave error." It was stated at the meeting that the property sub-divisions and road reserves, for Which dedication had not yet been accepted, were involved in the matter referred to In the letter. It was agreed that the council shouid investigate the whole question.