THE FORESTRY SCHEME.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 193, 13 August 1920, Page 6

THE FORESTRY SCHEME.

AUCKLAND'S CLAIMS. STRONG CASE PUT FORWARD. MEETING OF CITIZENS. |l Auckland's claims for the establish- j ] ment of a school of forestry in connec- i' tion witih the Auckland University Col-il lege were stressed at a representative i meeting of citizens, convened by the j Mayor, Mr. J. H. Ounson, and held in 11 the" Council Chambers, Town Hall, yes-j t terday afternoon. .1 Some excellent reasons why the pro-,i posed school should come to Auckland , were put forward by a number of 1 speakers. |( The Mayor presided, and after out-J | lining the objects of the meeting j pointed out t|he necessity f° r a sane and < progressive scheme of afforestation. It | was for the citizens to see and have ~ restored the forests of the Dominion, ], which had largely disappeared. While | the prosperity of the country 1 in the past" hart been greatly ; j contributed to by tfie enormous j supplies of timber taken from the forests j and utilised in local consumption, as well as exported, it would not do to be i content with conditions as they existed (. now. Mr. J. Butler followed with a proposal, "That this meetinp emphasises t|be j necessity of the immediate development, ! of a progressive scheme of forestry and ' the establishment of a school of forestry 1 in furtherance thereof, and desires to impress upon thp Government tihe im- j pnrtance of the claims of the Auckland j University College to the estn!'"mhment 1 of the 'school; that it be'iev-; the! .facilities ofTere.l in this university r)U- j triet are unique. that t; , requisite I teaching and research can be best condivted at the Aui-k'and College in the interests of the whole Dominion, an'l that an injustice will bt , done :f t'<e. roniiost of the college be not granted." Speaking in support the uiov»r outlined ninny reasons that made Auckland (dantftWo f'>r thp establishment of a serfml of forestry. Ho referred to the numerous native forests adjacent to A iif*K J a p<l ; m or** tlisn nn v ot ii or conx,rc could claim. Further, if wn* the nearest education centre to the <t»te f'.rest 1 of Waipoua, uiYch was already dcmir- | catel nnd proposed to be mana"el liv direct State supervision, involving* Hie expenditure of larnrp minis of public* ( money. The fariliti--~ for stnrl»nt« in | reiard to ]o""in" and forest engineering j manifn'd. The Wtuke'-e for«N wer» i rnirC-nWk- I '•• :.-d would \enA j <-WiTiee.lves admirably fnr resemHi n olwprvdt.ion. Tbe district also pos«*» 1- " vast nreqs of land suitflhl" for irrm>' : -"T | *'nihpr for ennmiercial p l irpose^ i 'vh'le i the extensive smooth waterways ef t'-e | pnvipep wou'd afford the cheapest pos- 1 si' ,, " form of tninsnort. I The harvesting! of t r n es «-is anotlior I important fvtor. as ironor'nrt a« the ' crrn-vinj of f-'Pi'i. Snwmi'lcrs wer-" ' suffering from the luck of properly te.-h- ! n ten ilv traino<l ni**n Tor fnr (, >f wor •". such as the school of forestry would Mr. H. B. Morton, in seconding the motion, jjivp it a.* his expedience dat the province was pre-eminently ndWed for trce-planthifr, all trees thriving alike. Professor A. P. W. Thomas referred to t«he proceeding at the recent University discussion r.n the o><es*ion of fhe distribution of different spheres of work anions the eolle-rp* in the Dominion. It j was nureed, he »:iid. that Auckland was ' the most suitable place for a school, of; agriculture and forestry. .As Canter- 1 bury was fully represented on the I Senate he claimed tihat it was an impartial opinion, in which Canterbury shared. Resrardinff the question from a Dominion viewpoint, lie asserted that j this part of Xew Zealand was fir I better adapted to the growing of trees than any otjher part. In support of th ; s I he referred t.i rainfall and the fa.'t that 1 the Auckland district was onc-e almo-st entirely covered with forest, and was its natural home. The Pev. A. R. Chapnell. registrar of the Auckland University Colleee. contended that if there was rnly to be tins ] school of forestry it shoiiM mo i:i Auckland, beciuse of the facilities olTerinfr, | both in the college and outside. j The motion "a* carried j ;- and it was further rie'ided tl'St the , I resolution be submitted by the clomita- I I tion appointed by Aueklan-' Univer--1 s'tv Col'eee Cnun-il to wait on the J Prime Minister in Wellington.