SCENIC RESERVES AND THEIR VALUE

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 73, 27 March 1934, Page 8

SCENIC RESERVES AND THEIR VALUE

(To the Editor.) ' Sir,—ln your issue' of the 17th inst., you published a letter written by the Forestry League dealing -with the legis-1 lation, recently passed, enabling the Minister to open up to commercial, interests, scenic reserves, generally, which have lost their scenic value, and in particular the proposaFto open up a portion of the Rongokaupo Hill reserve. '.-■■■:■

The Forestry league seems very: worried over the fact that, the, Minister :has been vested •with authority to convert 6cehie reserves which, have Tlost their:, scenic valued into valuable iassets for sawmilling and purposes.: It would appear that their slogan.l fa-"Hands off scenic re-sei-ves—right: or -wrong." It is this onesided, attitude that. has lost'to ihe country portions of. valuable milling bush, which wei'e.-tied: up for scenic purposes and; incapable of.preservation. ■'.'■.": •. ■ ; In'establishing a.secenic reserve it is not sufficient to locate a piece of bush and pass/legislation to appropriate.it for the purpose.- For a scenic reserve to be capable of preservation it is undoubtedly, necessary, that it possesses some advantages which lend to natural preservation. Bruce Park at Hunterville is'an example of: this, nestling in a valley and flanked on the open sideß by running water,- it will be a thing of beauty for posterity. On the other hand an attempt -was made to preserve another portion of bush in flat country on the other ride of the Rangitikei River at Rewa with no natural advantages. This area, commercially very valuable, gradually dwindled away and much national wealth was lost.

"We have also the Rochfort Reserve at Ohakune consisting of approximately 150 acres of 6ome of the finest milling bush in New Zealand. It was appropriated for scenic purposes. This area was entirely

without natural barriers and commenced to die from the outset each year, adding to the natuial destmction. A poition was taken for the Koehfort Station and in 1918 a storm and me destroyed a further portion, leaving about half of the original. A small . mill was let on to mill the damaged timber. About 2% .years ago a further storm and fire levied its toll at either end. After the damaged timber had become worm and borer infested'the milling lights were let for a tithe of its former value. Today we have the. sorry spectacle of the timber dying faster than the mill can cut it.

Surely it is better for some responsible representative of the people to have; after proper investigations, the right to realise on- the commercial value of national assets .vhich . have for some ■■ reason *or other, lost or undoubtedlyl will lose the very scenic properties for which they were preserved.

With the Rongokaupo reserve in, particular we have the Forestry League resisting a proposal which, by realising on ;a doomed . and already considerably burnt jag end of bush before it is too late, would provide funds for the strengthening of. the natural factors-which preserve the balance and open up to the general public hundreds of acres of beautiful scenery which is at - present locked up. The area subject to the local residents' petition is doomed and dying. It is a long triangular area, entirely unprotected from the sparks of the railway engines labouring on a' steep grade on the one side and backing up against 1500 acres of recently-milled over bush which must be felled .and burned within the next few "years. ■ The proposal to mjll this is sound" from-a national, business, scenic preservation/ and common' sense -standpoint.—l am, 1 "CHAS. 'E. McDOWALL. Raugatua, March • 24. -' .