OUR FORESTRY SCHOOL.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 255, 27 October 1928, Page 8

OUR FORESTRY SCHOOL.

The Committee spt up by the jnepibers of the Empire Forestry Conference to report upon forestry conditions in New Zealand h#s pppie to a deeisiop which seriously concerns the systematic stpdy qf sjylvicijjturQ in this county. Jp. i|;g repprt th« Committee states emphatically that the existence of two separate Schools of Forestry in this cppntry is uneconomic and unsound." The report urges the necessity for concentrating all pjij? available resources at one centre, and it lays stress on |hp pf either securing the services of the best men available or making the most and the best of the fundi# allocated for these purposes under the eifjsting gystein-

As we have always maintained that the forestry requirements of the Doijiipiqn would he most effectively met by the establishment of one thoroughly equipped central school, we are naturally gratified to fipd qur views endorsed by these distinguished authorities. It is as well, however, to remeiftbpr that thfl j original proposal was for one school, and ip the first I instance the Government gave an assuranfi.e that it intended to provide for one only. But later, for reasons that politically Sre perhaps only too clear, this purpose wss modified to the extent of affording assistance to a Southern Sphoql of forestry located, at Canterbury College. The other day the Minister of Education cited thp existence of the two schpols as a reason why the powers gi the University should be curtailed, and it seems necessary to ipa)ce it clp&r to our readers that this ''uneconomical and unsound" division of our forestry forees is entirely the Government's fault.. We may presume that the Government will pay some attention to an opipion now parrying sfich a weight of authority, and a controversy is cprtftjn tp oio Qver the position of this one central institu%i». The supporters pf the Canterbury |»rgp thst the beeeh and "WU forea|g%f W§§iJand are easily accessible from Cliristohurch. It may bp pointed out thftt Ms easy pcess tp the more valuable native timber still standing ift. the Kipg , while for thp, pi»*ppses of afforestation the great pijmifle areas in the centre of the Sfarth Island offer rn Unrivalled field fgrjjjg esppriffieftM SBltftFg 9fje?otic% Our own conviction is that, if thp forestry Scfcooi is Jiqt. Jopfttpd at .&upjfland, it should bp established at Wellington, so as to jbe within rpaiph ot #e Soijth M W<4 thp teih- Thp objection to th? Pfdmergton. suggestion is that § y^esiiy ( -|Bchlooi *thpr» wputi he fw yemoveft from the apademie faci|itie§ its students 'would enjoy at Auoklaad or Wellington. But flie verdict of the Forestry Committee')} report !o» the mftin poinfi iis anite clear »n4 4 e cisive; tier© gfeffsid be oss §n4