I—C. 6.

C. - 6

1907. NEW ZEALAND.

DEPARTMENT OF LANDS: SCENERY PRESERVATION. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1907; TOGETHER WITH STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS AND SCHEDULES OF ALL LANDS ACQUIRED AND RESERVED UNDER "THE SCENERY PRESERVATION ACT, 1903," AND AMENDMENT ACT, 1906.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to Section 10 of " The Scenery Preservation Act, 1903."

Department of Lands, Wellington, 29th May, 1907. Sir, — I have the honour to submit herewith report on scenery preservation for the twelve months ended the 31st March, 1907. I have, &c, William C. Kensington, Under-Secretary for Lands. The Hon. Robert McNab, Minister of Lands. REPORT. The question of scenery preservation in a new and picturesque country like New Zealand is one that requires to be carefully studied and sympathetically treated. It can be regarded from so many diverse points of view that to reconcile the opinions of all persons who are interested in the matter is a difficult task, and consequently it is all the more desirable that a brief statement of what has been done up to the present, what it is hoped may be accomplished in the future, and the lines upon which action is being taken should be clearly set forth in this report. From its foundation, the Department of Lands has been intrusted with the task of exploring, surveying, and subdividing for settlement and other purposes the Crown lands of the colony. In doing so, it has always been its aim to conserve as far as practicable suitable areas of forest lands, both as State forests, public recreation reserves, domains, thermal-springs reserves, for the preservation of water-supplies, for climatic and similar reasons, and the protection of the sources of rivers and streams, &c. Under the numerous Land Acts that have been passed by the various Legislative Assemblies from time to time, power was given to permanently reserve lands for these purposes, but it was not until " The Land Act, 1892," came into force that " scenery preservation " was added to those objects. Since that date, the protection and preservation of the beautiful natural scenery with which New Zealand is so richly endowed has been kept steadily in view, and when any portion of Crown lands has been opened for settlement, areas of specially attractive forest, or land surrounding waterfalls, caves, or thermal springs, have been excluded from sale and set apart for all time by permanent reservation in the Gazette. As a certain proportion of the land upon which scenic beauties exist was privately owned or still under the ownership of the aboriginal inhabitants of New Zealand, it was further decided by the Government that all classes of land should be equally dealt with as aforesaid, and accordingly the Hon. Sir Joseph Ward, Minister in Charge of the Tourist Department, in 1903 brought down the Scenery Preservation Act, and by his efforts it was placed on the statute-book. This Act provided for a Royal Commission to visit and report upon all areas possessing scenic or historic interest, or on which there are thermal springs, and submit recommendations for the acquisition and reservation of all suitable lands, whether Crown, freehold, or native. For two years the Commission performed these duties with advantage to New Zealand, but in 1906 it was found that