EMPIRE'S FORESTRY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 161, 10 July 1928, Page 11

EMPIRE'S FORESTRY.

BRITISH DELEGATE IN FIJI. TO VISIT NEW ZEALAND. (From Our Own Corresoondent.) SUVA, July 4. "Delegates who will attend the conference on Empire forestry in Australia and New Zealand will represent the controllers of 1,200,000,000 acres of forest land throughout the many lands which form the British Empire," said Mr. R. L. Robinson, the British representative to the coming Empire forestry conference in Australia, which opens in Fremantle on August 23, and works its way across the continent to Canberra, winding up in New Zealand on October 26. He is one of eight commissioners who control forestry in Great Britain. He and Lord Clindon are salaried, but the other six are honorary, acting more in an advisory capacity. Lord Clindon will also attend th§-conference. Mr. Robinson said that the forestry movement has undoubtedly given a great impetus to the systematic management and conservation of our forests. Then there has been established the Imperial Forestry Institute at Oxford, and the Forest Research Lavoratory at London, both of which are doing great work in the interests of forestry generally. He told of how the Commission in Britain was now planting annually at the rate of 23,000 acres, and had to date planted 135,000 .acres. But they had still to catch up the depletion due to the war period of some half a million acres cut down. He did not care to discuss the forests of Fiji, but would make a full report to the Colonial Office, which would eventually be published in this colony. He praised Fiji for its wonderful climate, having all the advantages of the tropics without any of the disagreeable elements such as snakes, malaria, etc. With Mr. Robinson is Major Furse, private secretary (appointments) to the Secretary of State for the Dominions. The Major has come to the South Seas to see for himself the conditions under which the civil servants live and work, so that, as controller of appointments, he may be able to more efficiently carry out his work in London. He said that the Colonial Office was very keen to develop the service to the highest point of efficiency. Both gentlemen sailed by the Ventura for Sydney on Saturday. The Fiji Governor is very keen in promoting forestry and afforestation; and he did excellent work in this respect while Governor of British Honduras. He is doing all he' can to promote better conservation in Fiji and deprecates granting further concessions for the removal of bush timber so far as he can.