MORE VANDALISM

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 December 1939, Page 4

MORE VANDALISM

DAMAGE ON MT HOLDSWORTH. HUT WINDOWS SHOT OUT. For some years past the huts on Mt Holdsworth have suffered from wilful damage. That this is still going on was shown on a recent visit of one of the local forest rangers. Evidently a pea rifle party had visited the mountain quite recently, as one window of the Mountain House had been shot out and two windows in the Ski Hut had been treated similarly. The floor of the latter - hut was strewn with empty pea rifle cartridges.

After the strenuous efforts made last summer by trampers in building this hut. most of them coming 7Q miles at their own expense, and carrying altogether four tons of material to the 4000 feet level and building the hut and conveniences, it seems hardly possible that so-called human beings, after making use of the hut should deliberately damage it in this way. The carrying of pea rifles is strictly forbidden by law in Stale forests and in future a strict watch is to be kept for irresponsibles, who use them for this purpose. When these vandals are caught they will be severely dealt with.