THE WAINUI BUSH.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 916, 8 September 1910, Page 4

THE WAINUI BUSH.

'",;'. ■ yyDANGEE' OE DEiSTIitiCTION;--:-. '}, : In.,the,:course, of .:.his iiecture /at the -Y.M.C.A'..6a . Tuesday night.,,, ; MrV W;_ H.y .Morton r CityyEngineer, dealt iii detail , , with .the relativeyvahies'of/tho Wairiui-o-mata aridKarori sources of supply,'and descrited the.', functions :discharged ■;.by! each'.',;lri ;tliis,conEectibn'ho gave'the s " figures for the annual/rainfall-ab-,both places; ■. over/ y a period' of five .years, -which put as follow:—1903, .Wninui;''Gl.Bsin., ICarbri, 'S3.o4iri"."i " 190<-, 'vWainui, , '71.46, "/Karpri, , 50i?8,; -1905, Wainui,: 92.13, "Karori,- 49,15;' 190fe- Wainui; 1OS:1S, ■-Karori,' . 51.62; 1907,' Wairiuv72.o7, Karori;'4o.Bs;,l9oß, Wairiiii,,62..97; . Karori, ' 35.21/,: The';.difference:•'.in the'rainfall, registered-between- thei; ; tWo places .was .very .remarkable, arid':.;was duo,.;ho. should ■?. say,. toVtlio, more ...elevated 1 position:-' of Wainuii arid tKe coriditiori of the hills-there,' which, , ; were /ill- : their' original state,:.practically- tho whbte : , of the catchment '..area/being',virgin''' forest.In' that -respect might mention-that -.it .wasVmbst 1 advisable in 'all- sucli:; cases' -to preserve from any -denudation fyySfire,'. sawmilling, v Pr any,, otlipr'ycause,. : ,|he'natural coriditionv of the forest from, /whibh-:the water was "drained., ..That'such ; forests ■.! had: -.' a beneficial : ' effect : on '< i the rainfall' could not.be -denied:;; It vhad ; been/noticed in many, places throughout 'tbe.Zwbrld, and., the , possible: destruction ..of that. forest/, at yWainui was > : a\ matter of 'ho jSmall anxiety.;- Quite ,receiitly- : :ho, ! had been, informed /by ..a-./rilari /with , a ; holding on;the western sido/'of,.the';.catchment/area that it ,was his*yiiitention / to/ burn,. otf. : Ho (tho speaker) ..dreadei.-the day. when he -would, because -it ywaa practically impossible to prevent' the fire from spreading into ■~tho'-;" corporation's: bush; on a' dry, day.;■.;. He ,■.' hoped : v, :the ; gentleman": in had , : changed - liis mind,, and- considered:--that! , some :yalne might /still , be obtained:by" : keeping His b'ush'in its native state. , - ■■'~■■■-.■/ ■•■■ ■.. ■• ; ' •■■ v'-r' , "^ , ". ... -; -';..-."-r ■