WEST COAST SCENERY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10298, 5 June 1919, Page 7

WEST COAST SCENERY

PLEA FOR RETENTION ONE OF THE MOST WONDERFUL FOREST ROADS. A strong appeal for the preservation of the filio scenic reserves of the West Coast, which are evidently in danger of heing lost as reserves, was made !iy Mr H. G. Ell. M.P., in speaking 10 a "Press" representative recently. Mr Ell said .that he had followed with interest fthe' various conference's held between West Coasters and the Cantorbury Progress League, and ho regretted to see that not one reference had been made to the necessity of protecting the great wealth of beauty.with which in aturc had so richly endowed the West Coast. Personally, he had not travelled beyond the shores of New Zealand, bu.he had been told by those who had that tho forests of Westland were the. most beautiful in the world. Dr. Cockayne, who had travelled over practically every part of New Zealand, had assured him in,New Zealand was there anything to equal that sceneryKauri, Mr Ell proceeded, had its charm and its great interest to the botanist, but it lacked the wealth and variety of colour of the South 'Westland forests. There the height of the rimu and white pine trees was astonishing. Many of them were as high as the Cathedral tower, and many reached a height of 250 ft. Some time ago, at, the request of Mr A. F. "Wright, who was keenly interested in the matter, he had paid a visit to South Westland, and he would never forget the impression that its great natural beauty had left ion his mind. He had then determined that, as far as it lay in his power, he would leave no stone unturned to protect ' those fine scenic roserves recommended by Mr G. H. Roberts, late Commissioner of Crown Lands for the West Coast, who had loved thescenery of the Coast, and who, at the risk of losing his chance of promotion, tad insisted on the protection of the West Coast reserves, and whose action had been endorsed by the Scenic Preservation Board Act, 1903. Some years ago, Mr Ell proceeded, he had received a letter from Miss Helen Rolleston, daughter of the late Hon. William Rolleston, to the effect that she was in a state of alarm that an area of only one chain in width was being reserved on the main South Westland rofcd. Mr Ell had then communicated with Mr Hazzard, now Crown Lands Commissioner in Canterbury, -who had said that an area of several chains in width was being reserved on each side of the road from Ross to the Fox Glacier. This, said Mr - Ell, represented an area of about 29,000 aoros, extending over some 90 miles, and including at least three Tanthe; Waihapb,: and Hapourika. These lakes themselves formed one of the finest sights in New Zealand, covered as they were with forest from, the tops of the hills which framed them to the water's edge. With the opening of the Otira tunnel, and tho bridging of the .many dangerous rivers between Ross ,and the Fox Glacier, Westland would possess one of the moat wonderful forest roads 'in''the fcbrldi A a=''d^i V4 'of ninety miles on a road enclosed on both sides by virgin forest of the most romantic beauty, and it was surely the bounden duty of the Government to see that this, the last remaining drive through virgin forest, should be preserved for all time. It seemed to him that any great endowment of natural beauty was not only the possession of the country in which it existed, but should 'the, possession of the Whole world. Our shores were open to travellers, who would flock here in groat numbers, if the beauties of the Coast were made known. Only recently he had been speaking to an old driver of the ooach through tho R-ai "Valley Forest, Nelson, who had said that that forest was one of the most beautiful in this country, and its destruction was greatly daplored. With the destruction,of the forest, the' tourist traffio had ceased.

Nearly all the fine forest lands in the Dominion had now disappeared, and the South Westland one was the last remaining natural forest drive of any extent in this country. More than once he had told West Coast people that they had an asset which, if once destroyed, could never be replaced by any expenditure of money. When thinkma ai +se actions of the Bawmillors in destroying such country, Mr Ell said he was reminded of the words of the late Mr Roosevelt to the International Forestry Congress at Denver City in 1905, that an American citizen who lived only for his own day and generation was a mighty poor man. Referring to the commercialism which had stripped forest lands and laid them waste, Mr Roosevelt had expressed tie opinion that the typo of oitizen who was guided by such principles was no good to his own day and generation, but blighted the interests of the future generation.

Naturally, said Mr Ell, we could not keep the whole country in forest, but this area of 29,000 acres extending over ninety miles, with several lakes in between, could surely be spared. There was still abundant forest land available for the sawmillers, and after they had cleared it, for sheep and. dairy purposes, and for the sake of those people who obtained a real joy from looking upon such natural beauty as was to be seen in South Westland, it was the bounden duty of the Government to protect that scenery from tho sanvmiller, the land speculator, and the man with no idea but .to'convert forest lands into cow paddocks to obtain the price of a pound of butter or a pound of cheese. Commercialism was not the only factor in present-day life. Sentiment had a big influence and an influence for good, and the love of nature as represented by natural forests and bird life was a thing that could be cultivated by old and young with advantage. Mr Ell added that he hoped that the Press of tho Dominion, and all others interested would do all they could to see that sufficient virgin forest scenery was retained to enable those who came after us to speak of us as pioneers, just as we spoko of tho old Canterbury pioneers who bad given us so many open spaces and so much park land. Canterbury people had felt most bitterly the prodigal use of tho great forests on Banks Peninsula, formerly a most beautiful sight, but now almost disappeared, and it was to bo hoped that a similar thing would not ffappen' on tho West Coast.