THE WANGANUI RIVER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 818, 16 May 1910, Page 6

THE WANGANUI RIVER.

Sir,—There is a great outcry being raised at present against the settling of the land and consequent felling of the bush near the banks of the Wanganui River, suggesting that an area within a radius of a mile or so on each side of the river should ba reserved for scenic and olimatio purposes. I maintain that this craze for scenic reserves, picking out tha eyes of the oountry, is being carried too far. Take up a plan of any hlock of land opened foT- selection nowadays, and a large proportion o£ it is shown oa scenic and other reserves which are - Generally cut out of the best and most accessible parts, and there'is, seldom anything picturesque about them. They ultimately bscome breeding grounds for noxious weeds and pests of all sorts—a general evesore. Along the banks of the Wanganui River there is already reserved for scenic purposes thousands of ■ acres of first-class sheep country, which,, if available for selection, would be eagerly taken up and made productive, and the river would not, from either a soeoio, climatic, or commercial point of view, deteriorate in the least. Instead of tho present monotonous view one gets on tine - upper-reaches of the river, tho eye would be relieved by smiling homesteads, and stretches of river interspersed with vie™ of grassy slopes and native bush, the latter in all the moist shady gorges of tha river would always remain. From a climatic point of view, it is absurd to 6ay that by reserving a strip of land, a mile or" so wide 011 each side of tho river when the vast aTea of the Wanganui basin is taken into consideration, will have an nrinreciable effect. Tho present "mortify the flesh" system of settling tho back country seems to bo to-reserve as far as possible all lands near a'railway, metalled road, or navigable river, by making scenic, forest, or bird sanctuarioi of them, and the unfortunate setEfar is put on tho most inconvenient and poorest parts. There iS quite enough country locked up as Native lands without addine to it thousands of acres of unpietnresqne bush scenic reserves, which can only bo made pleasing to the eye. and profitable to the country, by settlement.—l am. etc, BACKBLOCKS. Itaurimu, May 5, 1910.