KAPITI ISLAND.

Otaki Mail, 13 March 1922, Page 4

KAPITI ISLAND.

bird and bush sanctuary. \ RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BETTER PROTECTION. A number of recommendations, intended to make Kapiti Island as nearly as possible a perfect sanctuary for na tive busk and native birds, were laid before tke Minister for Lands (the Hon. D. H. Guthrie) by the Kapiti Island Advisory Committee —Mr W. H. Field, M.P., Dr. L. Cockayne, Professor Kirk, and Messrs Arthur Seed, E. Phillips—Turner, J. L. Bennett, C. Gray, and G. H. M. McClure. (Commissioner for Crown Lands) —which waited upon him as a deputation last week: —(1) That the 51 acres 3 roods 2$ perches acquired by the Crown out ot Vvai-orua-Kapiti IB 2A should be partitioned, and that the Crown’s interests should, if possible, be apportioned m the southern end of the block; further, that Mrs D'Ath, being the sole non seller in Rangitira-Kapiti 4 No, 4, b. approached with a view to arranging an exchunge of her interest, consisting of 16J acres, for a similar area in Wai-orua-Kapiti IB 2A. (2) That as soon as the necessary partitions arc carried out a fence be erected between the Crown land and the Native land on the island. (3) That Mrs Webber and the other owners of sheep depasturing on Crown land be given immediate notice to remove same; failing their doing this before April 30th, the Crown will take action under the Impounding Act, 100 S. (4) That the whole of the Crow a lands on the island be kept free oi! stock for all time with a view to encouraging the regeneration of natural vegetation. (5) That the provisions in section 34 of the Land Act, 1008 (to guard bush against lire), shall apply to Kapiti Island; that all permits issued to persons visiting the island shall be endorsed with the provisions of this section and that attention be drawn t" the penalties imposed by section 34 by public notices exhibited at the railway stations on the Main Trunk line which are used by persons going lo the island, and also at the places where the launches depart for the island, and at all the landing places on the island. Gw

That to go thoroughly into the question it is necessary that the advisory committee should visit the island in the near future and thus gain an actual knowledge of the conditions, to enable ■the matter to be more sntisfactoiily dealt .with.

“Hammering Away.’’ Mr Field said that he had been hammering away every session at the great need for the better protection of the bush on Kapiti from the danger of lire. He had always felt, though all his friends had not agreed with him, that the Government might have stocked lightly with sheep the whole of the grass country on its part of the island. 1 They would have eaten down grass and 1 thus preserved the bush from lire. The • marvel to him was that a fire had not j occurred on the island that would have 1 swept it clear of everything. Happily that had not happened: but, owing to the eating ofT of the undergrowth by . goats, and other stock, letting Hit: ( wind through under the trees, the native bush was looking very sickly, lb . strongly supported the recommendaj tions made by the committee. His j grievance, or point, in regard to the grass was that, whereas the Government would not use the grass on the Ki land and make a profit out of it. yet it 1 had been allowing others to do so The ' Government should fence off the north- . ern end of the island so us to prevent the trespassing of stock. The nrst ohi ject should be to preserve ever\ tiuc- ' and bird on the island; and, if possible, i add to the tree and bird life there. To i that end the committee asked the Minj ister to carry out its recommendations i as thoroughly and promptly its possible. If things were allowed to go on much longer as at present, they would doubtless in a few years have no bush on Kapiti whatever, and therefore no birds either. The committee felt that ; all the goats should be destroyed, and the stock kept from trespassing; while, if it was found that the opossums acre doing damage they should be thinned out or killed oft'. ICapiti could and should be made a sanctuary that the whole Dominion could be proud ol ->oi our native birds and bush. Such was . the intention of the Government whi'-h j acquired the greater part of Kapiti | some 20 years ugo.

| THE MINISTER’S STATEMENT. Keply to Critics. The Minister said that statements had been made iu the Press and else- , where, which assumed that the Lands j Department and tlic committee ban been wool-gathering in regard to the protection of bird and bush-life on Kupiti; but be need hardly say that that was not the case. He had not been able to spare the time to go and see the conditions on the island for himself; but lie liad had a report prepared j so that he could judge of the value of the recommendations made. What -Mr Field said was absolutely correct. He j had been indefatigable, in season and I our of season, in bringing before the i. Government the interests of Kapiti and the preservation of the island a? a sanctuary; and although he did not agree ■ in every respect with all views put forward, still fn the main he was at one with them. Mr Field thought that as there was so much grass on the island, the Government should take ad-

vantage of it to earn some money to ■ improve the other part of the island. { A similar recommendation had been j made to him (the Minister) with regard to the Kauri Trust Reserve, that

: the Government should take a sufficient i urea round the forest to make it a pavi ing proposition t 0 *' ave !l mau there all the time. But he understood that 1 the conditions were not the same at Kapiti, that the grass land was in the centre of the island. It had been sug-

gested to him that there was a possibility of buying out some of the land belonging to-the Webbers (the Parata family); but lie understood that thing could be done in the meantime. They must, however, fence in the land and give notice lo the Webbers that they must keep their stock off the Government land. Ancestral Lands, A strong light, they knew, had been put up by the Webber family that they would not part with the land, because it was the home of tlieir ancestors; and there was a feeling in the House and in the country that the Government must not unduly interfere with land that was called ancestral land. Though the Government some time ago put a clause in a bill empowering- it to take land, it had not a possible chance of getting the clause through, and he did not think the Government would have a chance now. There was one portion of the central part of the island that the owners would not soil, but it had been suggested to him that they might be induced to exchange it for a portion of the open country that • the Government had at the northern end. They must certainly cut off the Webber's stock from the Government part of the island, otherwise they could not make it a proper sanctuary for bush and birds. It was reported to him j that there were 1000 to 1500 sheep on i the island, and that there was no doubt about it that they were destroying the young trees, .especially such trees as the kuraka, kawakawn, and maylioe. There was no doubt, it was stated, that the sheep and goats had been destroying them; and. if so. the proper thing iwas to fence in the land and destroy these animals. There was no doubt, too, that the opossums were doing damage to the hush which was immeasurably beyond what could lie made out of them, and his opinion was that they also should be destroyed. It is said that the opossums won’t give the young trees, especially the fuchsia berry, a cliauce. Critics Answered. “I want to say definitely and distinctly,’’ stated the Minister, “that there hits been no neglect on the part of the advisory committee or on that of the Lands Department in regard to the rare of the'island. We have a caretaker there; but we have a lot of people fond of their pens who write a lot of silly nonsense about this matter. . . . Any suggestion that Mr Field, as member for the district, has not taken an absolute interest in the matter right through the whole piece is abso-

lutely incorrect. In fact, at times, I have thought he was acting the importunate widow.’’ (Laughter).

Mr Field said that lie recognised that a lot of grass land had become covered with tawliia and other young trees; and if that could go on, he would quite agree that no stock whatever ; should be kept on the Government portion of the island. Mr McClure said that about 00 chains of fencing would be required to cut off the Government part of the island from the rest, if the exchange suggested by the Minister could be effected, and if tin Government’s 5i acres at ! the northern end could be apportioned t_us recommended by the committee. . That would give a good fencing line, j Ue thought that Mrs Webber, or the i Parata family, only had about 350 acres on the island now; and he understood that the owner of the JO acres or so in the central portion would be j quite willing to exchange it J'or laud at the northern end. Bigger uontroi Needed, j The Minister: We will undoubtedly have to get a bigger control of the island. Everybody who likes must not he allowed to go and camp there. , Mr McClure said that it would be j difficult to prevent the camping so long as the Maoris and their stock were allowed on the Government land, j Dr. Cockayne pointed out that countrv land that had been burnt oft was I prevented from going back into forest fbv keeping stock on it. He undertook j to say that if in- kept the stock oft the ' whole of the North Island it would go hack into forest within Inn years, j Sheep ate about 20 varieties of our for- ! trees and ferns. One variety, the . rangier:), they would eat right out. People should not be allowed to camp : and light fires'on the island. Perhaps even they ought not to be allowed to smoke there, ns in the great forests of the world. But. in view of the prevalence of thy smoking habit in New Zeai land, he hardly liked to go as far as : that. If they were mi allowed to

lialit tires there would be danger j from the grass near the forest; and I if nothing was done to the open land ! it would go back into forest by itself, i To Assist Nature. ; But we could assist nature by planting trees, especially those that would not turn, such us the native fuchsia, the karaka. etc. These should be , sown in the tauhinu and the ti-tree. Professor Kirk agreed that the opossums should be cleared right out of Kapiti. Mr I'liillips-Turner concurred with l)r. Cockayne's views, especially in re- ! yard to sowing the native fuchsia. . which was not only a fire-resisting tree, but afforded alsc a most valuable bird food. fie was certain that if native trees were sown it would not be long before the whole of • the open land would be covered with forest. Mr Grey agreed with this view. On his own property a patch, of native bush had almost been killed by cattle eating down ;b.e undergrowth so that the wind got in under the older trees. But he fenced the cattle out, and in a few years it was all gTeen and as beautiful us ever. Our native trees could not stand the wind blowing through and underneath them. Mr Guthrie added that it was reported to him that there was a danger of the rabbits on the small island to the south of Kapiti getting on to.the main island; and that, while’ it-would be a simple matter to clear them out now,

it might be very difficult to do so later. A suggestion by Professor Kirk, that the committee should draft regulations for the prevention of fires on the island, and submit them to the Minister, was agreed to. Mr McClure said that a start had already been made with the partitioning of the land, and as soon as that was completed they would get on with the fencing, which would cost some £4 a chain. The matter of completing the partition was left in the hands of Mr McClure. Minister to Visit Island.

It was decided that the Minister and the Advisory Committee should visit tho island oh the weelc-end March ISth to 20th.