FORESTRY AUTHORITY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 109, 25 May 1937, Page 8

FORESTRY AUTHORITY

Death of Mr. E. PhiilipsTurner Mr Edward Phillips-Turner, a fSriher Director of Forestry, and a leading New Zealand expert on afforestation, died in HamBton last week at the age of 73 years. Mr Phillips-Turner, who was born at Havant, England, in 1865 and was a son of the late Dr. Charles Turner, came to New Zealand, via the isthmus of Panama, with his parents in 1869; but as at that time there was great depression in New Zealand, the family rnoved to Tasmania where he received at private school^ his main education. In 1881, he went to sea, but after a year's experience of that life, gave it up, afterwards returning to England for study. He returned to Tasmania in 1882, After a short farming experience in Tasmania, and further study in Melbourne, Mr Phillips-Turner, for whom tho bush had always had a magnetio attraction, decided to take up surveying /as a profession, and came to New Zealand in 1884. Mr Phillips-Turner was an aissistant on the Rotorua Eailway Survey in 1886, and two days after the Tarawera eruption walked from Ngatira through the Mamaku forest to Rotorua and on to the destroyed village of Wairoa at Tarawera Lake. During the next three years Mr Turner was surveying in diffeient parts of the Auckland province, and in the "Never Never" country of New South Wales. He also made a short visit to India. In 1891 he was in the einploy of the Tasmanian Gov■einrnent making mining surveys. Re» turning to Auckland in 1892, he married the daughter of the late Colonel Tirie, and going to England immediately afterwards, stayed there nearly two jears. Hie returned to New Zealand at tho end of 1893, and in January 1894 was taken on the staff of the Lands and Silrvey Department. In the next- 12 years, Mr Phillips-Tur. ner was engaged in making various hinds of surveys from Herekino in the North to Taupo in the South, being stationed about three years in the Hot Lakes district where he surveyed most of the country lying between Hamurana Spvings, Okataiua, Tarawera and Rotomahana Lakes, Waiotapu and the Waikato River. Mr Phillips-Turner was in 1907 appointed Inspector of Dominion Scenic Reserves. In 1919 forestry was established as an independent department and Mr Phillips-Turner was given control as secretary and permanent head. A rebrganisation took place in 1920, Mr L. Maclntosh Ellis being appointed Director of Forestry and Mr PhillipsTurner retainmg the position of 'secretary and permanent head. On the resignation of Mr Maclntosh Ellis in March 1928, Mr Phillips-Turner was appointed Director of Forestry. In the same year, Mr Phillips-Turner was senior delegate from New Zealand to the Empire Forestry Conferenee in Australia and New Zealand. During the three years that Mr Phillips-Turner was Director of the Dominion Forest Service the acreage of the State forest .plantations increased from 134,000 acres to 307,600 acres, an area far exceeding that of any other component of the Empire. Mr Phillips-Turner 's literary works gained him world-wide recognition, some of his publications being "Botanical Report on the Higher Waimarino District," " Re-establishment of Vegetation on Tarawera Mountain" and l'rees of New Zealand," the latter bemg written in conjunction with the late Dr. Cockayne. His home in Tainui street nas long been. recognised as one of the beguty spots of Hamilton and contains practicaliy every native New Zealand plant. His library is also said to be one of the most extensive collections on arboriculture in the Dominion. He was a Fellow of the Linnean Society, of London; a Fellow of the Koyal Geographigal Society and a member of the Koyal Society of New Zealand.