FORESTRY COMMISSION.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14668, 17 May 1913, Page 14

FORESTRY COMMISSION.

A BUILDER'S EVIDENCE,

(press association- telegram.)

, WELLINGTON, May 10. Giving evidence before the Forestry Commission to-dny Mr Bennett, president of the Builders' and Contractors' federation, said that the timber •supplies m all parts of the world had been regarded as a field of exploitation lor immediate profit without tho least regard ior the necessities of the future, in i\ew Zealand we were treating a I natural resource, which was a non-pav- ; able one, on the same-,basis as tho agricultural product, which was an annual one.. The future o f the timber supply of the Dom'nion was a. matter of grave national concern, and he expressed tho hot* that the Government would not yield to the clamour of a few interested persons who. for the sake of their own immediate wants or personal gain, would exclude all foreign supphes. EMPLOYMENT OF CONSUMPTIVES. Giving evidence before the Forostrv Commission to-day. Dr. Valiutine In-spector-General of Hospitals, .stated i a K n tllo Present time here were about IoOU consumptives. These covld be employed at tree-planting workwhen the consumption sanatoria were thoroughly organised. Tho work was of great benefit to patients. The risk .of relapse where patients had pnrtinllv recovered after a* period of such work had to be considered. The experimenthad been made at Rotorua. and it had been fairly successful. The undertaking last year had been practically self-supporting. It had kept patients away from the community when they wero suffering from the disease. The net cost to the Department Mas about 2s Pd .a dny for each consumptive employed. Tho men were required to pay part of tho cost of their maintenance out of their earnings. He believed the Department would be prepared to do something in helping forward and erecting a camp on larger lines. TONGARIRO PARK. Mr Hamilton,- Curator of tho Dominion Museum, speaking on behalf of the New Zealand Institute, said that the organisation would support any movement for preserving forests in high areas, and generally restraining denudation. He was unaware that deer in this district "barked" trees to any extent. j To Dr. Cockayne: He was awjire that on tho surveyed area of Tongariro National Park there was virtually not a tree. In his opinion it would bo a good thing to have the park exteuded right down to the railway line. Dr. Newman, M.P., was of opinion that the park should be enlarged. Rabbits were getting in and eating off the natural undergrowth. At the northern end of Tongariro were .situated tho finest hot springs in New Zealand.