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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3590, 18 August 1890, Page 2

Messrs McOardle and Bunny cannot ha commended for tboiv action at the meeting of the Land Board, held l«s.t Thursday, in carrying resolutions to open the forest reserve? on the Tararna Ranges and other localities in the district for settlement, A more shortsighted andinsane proceeding can scarcely be imagined, for already the water supply in many places' is. beginning tp shorten through (lie destruction of the fnr&ts. Instead of attempting to deforest to tlio utmost eiteni, possible, Tb» sl'atc"Dieat iljattli'o resWe's'do 'not

contain valuable timber is quite bosido the question, ior tho vilue consists in tlio conservation of tho water supply for a vory large area of country, as stated by' the OomraisIsioner, Mr Meredith, when opposing tho i'f solutions. If Messrs MeOardle

anil Bunny cannot use their piwUiona on tho Board for somo less mischievous

purposei the sooner they resign their seats the bettor, It is to bo hoped settlers iu the Wairarapa will enter a very strong protest indeed against opening these reserves ior sale, by inducing thoir members in tho House to take action in tho direction of curtailing the powor of Land Boards in such mate, .which are of more than mere local importance. Turning to this particular district it is found 'that tho water supply on tho East Coast is yearly getting less and less, and that settlers are now goiug to

great.expenso iu forming dams and reservoirs for their storage In that splendid block of country tho Pukotoi, land is being sold almost to the summit of the range, and settlors of practical experience predict that sooner or later tho supply of water will be seriously Another evil, and not a slight one, caused by the whulesale denudation of forest country is the damage done by the increased rapidity of floods, arid the consequent cutting away of •river, and creok banks and tho covering of large'areas of land with shiuglo.