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Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 February 1940, Page 7

A member of the Forest and Bird Protection Society’s executive strongly supports the remark made by' a tourist from overseas some months ago that “New Zealanders are a littery people,” because many of them have the careless habit of casting empty cigarette-packets, chocolate wrappers tins, remnants of icecream cones and other rubbish on streets, and footpaths and on the grass of parks. “In that untidy practice New Zealand probably lags behind the great, majority of civilised countries," the critic said. "In Italy, Germany and the United States of America the hard hand of the law is raised against such offenders and quickly drops upon them. In contrast with the widespread 'littery' tendencies of many New Zealanders I mayquote the splendid example set here some years ago by Sir John Russel, Director of the Rothamstead Experimental Station, England. Accompanied by a party of New Zealand scientists ho was traversing pumice court-, try near Taupo. When he removed he dark paper from a spool of photographic film, he used the heel of a I boot to make a hole in the pumiceous soil, and buried the paper in that I wilderness far away from highways | and foothpaths. It was a gentleman- : ly mark of respect to nature." i