Taupo man is elected top watchdog of NZ

Taupo Times, Volume 23, Issue 46, 11 June 1974, Page 1

Taupo man is elected top watchdog of NZ

A Taupo man has been elected Dominion president of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society — the largest, strongest and first conservation body to be established in New Zealand. Mr J. V. Jerram, retired managing director of an Auckland textile company, was elected at the annual meeting of the society in Palmerston North last week. He has already partially vformulated his policy and one of the society' s first projects will be to "bifterly oppose" a Forest Service propo^al to clear fell acres of virgin beech forest in Westland and Southland. "This is the main problem facing us," said Mr Jerram. "These forests are to be felled to provide wood chips for export to Japan and it is proposed to re-plant the forest in exotics. "This is no more than 4 death and destruction to something which is unique to this country — and we > regard it as sacrilege." Another issue the society intends to oppose is whai appears to be plans to site a nuclear power station in the Cape Palliser area. "People at the Cape say test blasting has taken place there recently and although it has not been stated that this was for a nuclear power station local opinion has it that in effect this is what has ' happened," he said. The society has been successful before in preventing damage to the " environment. "We were instrumental in saving Manapouri and also a large area of kauri forest on the Coromandel Peninsula.

The Warawara forest on the Hokianga Harbour was also saved from the timber mill through the efforts of the society.

Established in New Zealand in 1921, the society has grown in membership to more than 17,000. "In numbers and finan-

cially we are the largest