TIMBER ROYALTIES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 302, 15 September 1908, Page 9

TIMBER ROYALTIES.

y V: y : - ," . AFFECTING THE UPKEEP OF /••-.- ROADS. M;" Reader" and. Mr. C. Nees, 'rcprpseutiiig; the. Pelorus Road .Board, • assisf.e,d,.by. and Graham, M.P.'s,. yesfci'day ; discussed with the Pre-. 'inier"."."',tiio' ' question- -of timber royal- • ;£i'es ''.tas' .affcctingj . tliq. ..upkeep of , toads,.', Tliej'-explained that the board had • 'to''mamtain about forty miles of road, which > ' lay.'chi'ofly thrbugh 'State forests, and yielded . 110.;. revenue to'the board. Tlioy believed it. had been tho intention of tho Legislature to* .place" State forests and. ordinary Crown lailds 'in the! same position as', regards paying; half - the-timber royalties to the local bodies,' ljut : they had been told by Mr. IPNab.that the State forests revenue did not 'gb'jntd the 'Consolidated Fund like that from jCrowu /lauds; :but was devoted to afforosta-. tioii. : -This money was presumably being .spent" in 'different parts of the country, and ' meanwhile the ./haulage of timbor over the roads in the Pelorus district, where most of the : ?awmilling.was done on State forest lands, was' increasing ' tho cost. of maintaining'the roads.'," .They also, referred to the Scenic' reserves, 1 which contributed nothing in rates, and which by,keeping the roads overshadowed by trees made them more difficult to* maintain in good ordor.. : ' The : Prinie' Minister said he' thought tlu \ deputation- mistaken in its vievr oi the intention of tho'Legislature. '•'! Mr.''Mills said tho Into Mr, Seddon had told him that, it w'as the intention to give the local bodies the royalties from timbor in tho.. State forests. ' ' Tho Premier saidthero had been a great deal of correspondence on. the ■ subject. Do ' would • look into; it again.