AFFORESTATION SCHEME

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 283, 28 November 1919, Page 9

AFFORESTATION SCHEME

• —— FOB WAITA-KEItE *R*BS-EBV_3S. | GEEAT VALUE OF COMJUERCIAIi TIMBER. | MR E__rß_C4>. REVIVES PROPOSAL-' nxE si-Siaxo yum> asset. Three years ago, in 1916, the City Council had under consideration a scheme for the afforestation of 1200 acres at Waitakere, at the head of the Xihotupu watershed, and of ISOO acres also at Cormvallis Park, the idea heing to plant these areas •with trees of comv mercial value. The Public Services Com-, mittce was commissioned to go into the pros and cons of the proposal, and after hearing a good deal of expert evidence, the scheme was abandoned, partly because of tho fear that in 30, 40, or 50 years' time, when the trees came into demand for timber, the cutting operations sn.ht affect the purity of the city's water supply. Since then, however, conditions have materially altered, both regarding the -water supply and the value of timber growing, and the Deputy Mayor, Mr. A. J. Entrican, who raised' the "nncntion in fDlfi, intends to reopen it at the earliest opportunity. A SPLENDID INVESTMENT. In the course of a talk on this interestinir and important subject yesterday, Mr. Entrican remarked: "I am perfectlysatisfied that the time is fully ripe, not only for the State, but for municipalities to take up with vigour this que. tion of afforestation of waste lands with trees of commercial value. It is a national, necessity, and so far as the Auckland City Council is concerned, I am firmly convinced that the 'best way to invest, the sinking fund for wiping off the loan j money spent in land and pipea for our water supply would be in planting these Waitakere aVeas with commercial timber. No one will deny that the timber question is very much more acute now than it was even in 1016, and everything possible should be done to engage in the reforesting of those denuded areas that are only suitable for timber growing purposes. The price of timber has gone up to such an extent, and evidences of the exhaustion of the local supply in a very few years is so plain, that to neglect the" planting of timber trees wherever cheap land is available will be positively criminal." OUR SHRINKING TIMBER RESOURCES.

Mr. Entrican went on to point out that the question of timber and alForestation had been very prominently brought before the Empire during the war, when it was shown that Germany and France were very much better oil respecting their supply of forest timber than was Great Britain. The conscqcnce was a tremendous increase in the price of timber in the Mother Country, and one result was that timher coverings for cases became absolutely unprocurable. This meant that various classes of g-oods that had always been shipped in wooden cases had to be shipped in op&u crates and bales, and in other ways. "There is no question," he added, "that unlesa the matter is tackled resolutely we shall even in Ne;w Zealand have very great difficulty in the near future to find the necessary timber in which to pack out butter for export, erato our cheese, and make cases for the conveyance of our fruit. And though reinforced concrete is likely to be a very important factor in future building, even that will require a great quantity of cheap timber for the casing work." PURITY OF WATER SUPPLY. "In 1916 the council turned down the recommendations of the Public Services Committee because the 1200 acres proposed to be planted with commercial timber were in the catchment area, and it was thought the cutting of the timber in future years might interfere som2 what with the purity of the water sup ply. The council were all agreed, .however, that it was absolutely necessary in order to get the fullest supply from the area we have, the ground should be covered with some 6ort of bush. The question of native flora for scenic purposes seemed to some of the council to be more important than the planting of quick growing tiniber, and for that reason the council came to the conclusion to do nothing, but to allow these 1200 acres at Nihotupu to become covered in a natural way with bush growth. This will in time serve the purpose of conserving a certain amount of water, but there will be very little in the shape of scenic value for many years, as the early growth will be merely manuka scrub, the bush trees not being li-ely to develop until they have the shelter of the undergrowth. • HUNDREDS OF ACRES AVAILABLE. "I think that the time has now arrived when the whole question should be revived and that the council should again consider the matter of planting every available' acre they can with quick growing trees. We have hundreds of acres where planting could be carried out without any detriment to the purity of the water, as they are outside the present catchment area. But c v 'en the question of planting inside the catchment area deserves further consideration, and I hope the council will have an opportunity of going again into the whole matter early in the New Year. The question of planting Cornwallia Park will also have to be considered, as will that of planting the land recently donated to*the city by Mr. Spragg, to the west of the Cornwallis Estate. It is my intention to bring the matter before the Mayor on his return, and I have no doubt he himself will have collected some information regarding afforestauon while in America, and that as 60on as the council resumes at the end of January the matter will be reintroduced."