SAVING THE KAURI

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 877, 22 January 1930, Page 11

SAVING THE KAURI

MINISTER AT WAIPOUA INSPECTION OF FORESTS From Our Own Correspondent DARGAVILLE, Tuesday. As Commissioner of State Forests, the Hon. W. B. Taverner paid a visit to the Waipoua Forest yesterday, accompanied by Mr. E. Phillips Turner, Director of State Forest Services, Mr. R. D. Campbell, Conservator of Forests, and the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates. Mr. V. Trounson, chairman of the Hobson County Council, Mr and Mrs. F. A. Jones, Mayor and Mayoress of Dargaville, and Mr. S. L. Spanhake, engineer to the Hobson County Council, also accompanied the party. A short stop was made at Kailiu for inspection of Mr. Doclierty’s private collection of gum specimens and the party proceeded ort to Trounson Kauri Park by way of Wliatoro. Opportunity was taken by the county chairman at this stage to mention t«.» the Minister the need of a better road over this route. He stressed the point that on account ot the paucity of rate moneys yielded by the county along this route the county council considered itself unable to undertake extensive work there. The route, ho said, was more essentially a tourist route to the Trounson Park. The party walked through the park from the eastern side and rejoinea the cars further down the hill on the Whatoro-Donnelly s Crossing road. Continuing on’ through Katui, the party was met at the Waipoua Stream on the forest road by Mr. Arnold Hansson, chief inspector of the State Forest Service, and Mr. C. D, Gram, chief ranger of the forest. The Forestry Department’s nursery was examined, the Minister making'a. minute inspection of the work being undertaken. CAMPING AREA WANTED Messrs. Jones and Trounson made representations to the Minister concerning the provision of a camping and car-parking area. An admirably suited area of approximately four acre* was indicated to the Minister as being appropriate for that purpose. The area is flat and nicely grassed and is placed in the fork of two streams, so as to be bordered by water on three sides. It is situated adjacent to the homestead on the seaward side of the forest. The Minister was greatly impressed by the large kauris. Mr. Coates expressed pleasure at the Minister’s visit, and the interest: he was taking in the preservation and restoration of the forest. He eulogised the work of the department in the endeavour being made to propagate the growth of the kauri on fern and scrub lands and to regenerate growth in the forest itself. He had every confidence in the work the department was doing and had no doubt that it would be productive of results. GUARDING A TREASURE Messrs. Trounson and Jones suj>- | plemented Mr. Coates’s remarks, Mr. I Jones stating that the people of the district regarded the forest as being in ; their custody and regarded the forest I as a treasure, which they guarded I jealously. The Minister stated that he had always been a great lover of nature and its forests. Even before he had the departmental duties placed.on hw shoulders he had followed very keenly; the work of preservation of the Waipoua Forest. At the time the forest road was first mooted he had looked upon the project with some degree of alarm, but had come to realise that apart from the road providing a means a revealing the beauties of the forest, to travellers, its construction offered an avenues for more efficient patrol of the forest from the aspect of fire protection. The time'was coming, he said, when the forest would be a subject of world-wide interest from the scientific and tourist points of view. The department, he said, was making very close investigation for the reinstatement of the kauri in parts where the trees had died. The Minister laid stress upon his consideration that some legislation should be enacted to make a prohibition against the j destruction or commercialisation ofth* ; forest.