PREVENTING SOIL EROSION

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22357, 22 March 1938, Page 9

PREVENTING SOIL EROSION

ACTION BEING TAKEN IN AUSTRALIA VICTORIAN TO STUDY FOREST .PROBLEMS ARRQAO [THE PRESS Special Servlc?.] AUCKLAND, March 21. Erosion protection with the aid of afforestation will be one of the principal studies to be made abroad h,y Mr W. Wilson Gay, Commissioner of Forests of the Victorian Government, who is a through passenger by the A.orangi, which arrived from Sydney to-day. Mr Gay is to make a nine months’ trip around th§ .world, after being awarded a travelling grant by the Carnegie Corporation of New liTork for the investigation of forest problems of interest to Australia. “Water erosion causes concern in New Zealand, but in Australia Wind and soil erosion has created a position approximating in seriousness that of the famous Middle West dust bowl of America,” said Mr Gay. “One of our principal wheat-growing belts in North-east MaHee, Victoria, is being seriously menaced by sand drift from Central Australia. This is almost entirely due to the removal Of fhe covering of the Malice type of cucalyp.t ciant during settlement. “Dust storms have often wiped out wheat crops in this area. In 25 years some farmers have built three fences, one on top of the other. Costly repairs nave been necessary to roads, railways, and irrigation schemes. “The economic value of any protective plan is therefore very apparent,'’ said Mr Gay. “Fortunately, Australia has taken the matter in hand in its early stages. The Federal Government has awakened to the seriousness of the problem and recently appointed a Soil Erosion Committee to investigate it. "in Victoria we are deeply concerned with the retention pf the forest covering, not only in the main watersheds, but in dry districts threatened with wind erosion and sand drift. I intend to see what America has dope when I visit Los Angeles.” Wood pulp industry The development ‘of the wood pulp industry ip Australia was referred to by Mr Gay, who will make observations on u in the timber regions of the Rockies abend Vancouver. Mr Gey said that wood’pulp was now being taken from the Victorian State Forests at Maryvale, where a pilot plant had been operating for about three months producing wrapping paper. It was not dealing in newsprint yet, but this would undoubtedly be produced soon. As a result of Tasmanian concessions, newsprint would be produced from \his. territory almost immediately. Information for the match industry of Australia wilt also be gathered hy Mr Gay in Norway and perhaps in Sweden. Re intends to study the growth of aspen and poplar trees in the hope of discovering, a species suit-' able for introduction to Australia. In New York he will investigate silviculture and the methods of utilising species of pines, and in England he will investigate the progress of the reafforestation programme being conducted by the British Forest Commission. Protection forests used to reclaim the sand-drift regions on French

Coastal area? will also interest Mr Gay. "Wither I shall visit Germany. Italy, 39$ Swit?#iand depends entirely on tfct conditions when I am pear those countries,” said Ml Gay“l have matters I sho,ul d like to investigate in all these places, but I arp doubtful if I be able to dq so-;-"Mr Gay, who'is beiqg accompanied by Mrs Gay, last visited New Zealand a year ago to attend the scieppe CPflgiess.