KAURI GUM AS A NATIONAL ASSET.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 72, 24 March 1906, Page 9

KAURI GUM AS A NATIONAL ASSET.

m (By-" Old- Salt.") (Continued.) In. my last article upon the above sub* ject I stated that the methods of win* ning gum, as pursued by the Austrians, had rendered useless thousands of acres of land for either grazing or agriculture- This will be easily apprtciatedi in light of the fact that after a pad« dock has been thoroughly worked it consists of merely chains of pot-holes (aa they are called locally) and hillocks. The average depth of these holes ia about ten feet; but in swampy country, holes have been left three times thai: depth. What grazier would trusts stock, sheep, cattle, or horses, on such a honeycomb? and what farmer would) he sufficiently stout-hearted to essay its conquest with the plough? Nor is this the only damage inflicted, for the gumdigger does not cut down and clear away the vegetation on the surface of the ground he wishes to work. In spita of official warnings and the prohibition of private holders, he puts a match to it, with the residt that hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of acres ara burned where it was only intended ta work, at most, a few square chains This wanton burning off is ruinous- ta the ground, as the fire consumes both, herbage and rootlets, pulverizes tha little soil there is, ana then ashes and soil are carried away by the wind, leaving immense stretches of bare, white pipeclay. The danger to the homesteads and fences of the settlers is so apparent that it will suffice to merely mention it. Less apparent, although not less serious, is the gross injustice of allowing to be taken from the settlers a source to which they look for a portion of their incomes. As the cockatoo farmer in Australia, once his crop is in, makes for the shearing sheds and augments his revenue by the sweat of his. brow, knowing that kindly Mother Earth will undertake the increase ot his crop; so the settler in the Northern parts of New Zealand has looked upon the gumfields as a profitable scene o£ labour when his energies and .attention.' were not required on his holding. N°- Wthe stranger is within his gates', sometimes literally, sometimes camped! against his fence, enriching himself, without benefit to the country, upon what should be a perquisite of the pioneer. A witness, speaking at Mangawai. said: " I have been th&ty-three. years in this district. I have dug guns - sometimes; it has been a considerable help to mc when I had time to do it. There is hardly a settler in the district who has not had to get help from gumdigging. I think myself it will be" a great calamity if the "settlers who have been relying upon this source of supportare thrust aside by the Austrians. In a year or two more there will be no chance for the poor people settled about here to live." This is only one expression of opinion out of many; but this worthy farmer is content to describe, as a great calamity must, .in tha opinion of all fair-minded people; ha ' more- forcibly designated an miquitoua injustice. As an example of the- bogey* .which from time to time are brought to tha front —I presume to steady the market in the interests of the producers—tha last is evea more amusing'tfaan. either; the Philippine or Zanzibar scare. I refer to the Chinese product ' known aa tung oil. and quote "from an inspired! article which appeared in the Auckland! press:— '" It Is possible and highly probable that sooner or later tung oil will completely supersede kauri gum. . . _■ It might be quite possible to grow the tree here itself, and if so the industry, might not ultimately be altogether lost." For the benefit of .those; about to his interviewed with the, design of making their utterances public, I would say. Beware of the figures! After the cheering intimation that we have the climatia and other conditions to enable us to compete with the Celestials in the growing of the Wu Tung, I read: -'The tree _ productiveness usuallj commences between the fourth and sixth years, and. continues for ten years. The annual I yield is from .20 to 50 ebs of nuts, coni tainfng 40 per cent, of oil. worth "2._ d peC eb." Taking 401b of nuts' as being _. more than fair average, each tree ,wiE yield 161b of oil, of a capital value of 3/4, per year; so with a life of productiveness the revenue will amount to 33/41 In the 10 years, which may be considered profitable in China, hut would not satisfy the least avaricious investor here. Admittedly this oil comes into competition with only the low-grade gum; but the publication of such non- ■ srens'ical details is to make thoughtless people belittle the impor_anee of kauri gum to the welfare of the , nation and the people. Now, unfortunately, my space isnearly exhausted, so I can only touch lightly on what I believe would prove remedial measures. Put succinctly the suggestions are as follows: _ That no application for a gum digging • license be entertained until the appli-" cant—British, naturalised or aJien—caa f prove three years' residence in.;, the; State: "'%-.■ • That each, resident, whether a bsfastft. , of the State or private land 'owuefy should expend a minimum sum per. 1 annum in improvement to his holding; That every assistance be given td _ genuine farmers, vigaerons and oliva growers. I would even favour the" sup- ; plying by the Government of trees, ctii- ., tings, and stock for planting. The settler to reimburse the State by instalments, which, in the case of a Crown, leaseholder, might be added to his rent. The appointment of an inspector to grade all gum exported and the levying of an export tax according.to the-quad-itv shipped. The revenue derived to go. to the mending of roads and bridges destroyed by the gum traffic Such are the principal suggestions I wish to place before the public; but hope at some future time to deal witU the Austrian immigrant as a socia. acquisition. Should nothing be done to remedy existing conditions, it will, in the years to come, be found that gum. diggers, and money have all gone, leaving behind a. legacy of devastated country, rained roads, and broken bridges. Is it just [to future generations that such a faie and fertile "country should, Before thejf 1 attain the age at which they may .__ag j their heritage, he converted into liable abon__a_-tio_ ot deaolaJaLoji I- 'ro&*'