Description Comments

“Unique Native Forest Under Threat ‘Because of Money’”

Object type

Image

More Info →

Description: This image was published in the July 9th, 1978 edition of the Tribune weekly newspaper.

The caption read: “While in Palmerston North, conservation-minded Dr Shearer took the opportunity to inspect the city council's parks and reserves department's old house in Fitzherbert Avenue. He was especially interested in the house and trees because of doubt over their future - the director of parks and reserves, Mr J. W. Bolton, isn't sure what'll happen to the building when the department eventually moves into the new Civic Centre. Here Dr Shearer (left), Mr Bolton (right) and the assistant director of parks and reserves, Mr C. Osborne (centre), pause from their inspection.”

Extracts from the article: “Logging of the declining native forests near Taupo has not yet been stopped by the Government mainly because of the cost of buying out the logging contracts. Dr Ian Shearer. MP for Hamilton East, said in Palmerston North. Dr Shearer was addressing a meeting at Massey University which had been arranged by the university's newly-formed Young Nationals branch”

“Dr Shearer spoke of the Highem report on the socioeconomic effects of stopping the logging. The report was meant to have included information from T. Fowkes, as well as Dr R. Highem. However, Mr Fowkes would not put his name to it, alleging bias towards the Forest Service and surveys that were ‘a little bit doubtful’. Dr Shearer said Mr Fowkes is now arranging a separate seminar to assess the impact of closing down many of the mills in the area. He said their inclusion in the Highem report conveyed a misleading impression of the number of mills that would have to shut down if logging was halted. Many of them would have been closing down anyway.”

These images form part of the Manawatū Evening Standard Negative Collection. Unfortunately, only negatives between April and December 1978 are held.