FLOOD LESSONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 174, 25 July 1935, Page 11

FLOOD LESSONS.

DENUDED RANGES.

FOREST SALVAGE NEEDED

FARMLANDS IN DANGER

"The continually recurring floods and consequent loss and damage in North Auckland and other parts of the Dominion are eloquent and convincing warnings that should be made articulate to the whole of our people," writes Mr. A. .T. Stallworthy, M.P. '-These floods arc not natural phenomena consequent upon increased rainfall, and altogether removed from human influence. They are, in fact, largely the direct result of human folly and incompetent administration of local and national affaire.

"The Dominion actually has spent millions of pounds of horrowod money to bring the present flood disasters upon ourselves. The North Auckland, which I know so well, will suffice for example. Over the last 50 years hundreds of thousands of acres of heavy forest and subsidiary vegetation have been ruthlessly destroyed across this narrow peninsula. Hill tops and valleys, sidelings and natural swamp areas have fallen under axe and fire and spade, until the whole balance of the country has been destroyed. The capacity of rain absorption of a great forest is enormous and a forest bed is a vast filter or sponge with natural functions of moisture conservation, forest regeneration and soil protection. Widespread Destruction. "In the old days of heavily timbered country even a cloud-burst was so countered by the forest that the flood waters took days, and then greatly diminished, to reach the lower country. We often had to wait for years to get a sufficient 'fresh' in creeks to bring logs from forest to mill. But north, south, east and west this natural forest protection for the land and the people has been inanely removed, and consequently under heavy rain the waters rush down almost straight from the clouds, unimpeded on to our essentially lower level farms, roads, railways and even cities. The loss is enormous, both temporarily and permanently. Miles of hillsides are being washed into the sea. The Government and private mortgagees have lent millions of borrowed money to settlers to denude our hills of forest for the sake of a few pitiful blades of grass. Now through lack of forest protection miles of lovely grass country on lower economic levels are swept into ihe sea. The Government has borrowed millions of pounds to build roads and railways which are now being ruined by the disastrous results consequent upon the mis-spending of the millions of pounds of borrowed money in destroying our beautiful and utilitarian forests. Net result: unpayable National debt, individual and national disaster. National Scheme Essential. "There are two alternatives for an island in a temperate zone once the hush is gone: either l<) be an arid desert or to be sea-washed. There are arresting examples of islands on which the most luxuriant vegetation has been so destroyed by imported goats that within two hundred years absolute desert conditions now prevail. What goats we are to base our so-called land settlement operations upon a similar destructive basis. A grave danger threatens our Dominion. There is not a moment to loso in reversing established policy. Government, local bodies and individual settlers need all to be incorporated in an intensive scheme of reafforestation. A major national scheme is a matter of urgency. Merely a Departmental futility will not suffice. With flood damage in country and in towns the menace is imminent. I recently pointed out that actually in the area under tinAuckland City Council's jurisdiction intensive renfforestation was essential to security. It is the same everywhere throughout New Zealand.

"A comprehensive and well-devised scheme of reafforestation on a broad national basis, with natural facilities for decentralisation in execution, is an economic necessity to this Dominion, to say nothing o-f scenic and other features. Without some vision in this matter, literally the people will perish. Instead of tinkering with a multiplicity of doubtful and demoralising schemes and unfathomable regulations, the millions of pounds raised by unemployment tax might be diverted from uses as a vast political fund to the work indicated as a groat and essential national undertaking."