GOVERNMENT AND FORESTRY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 82, 5 January 1928, Page 10

GOVERNMENT AND FORESTRY

PLANTING WASTE LANDS FUTURE VALUABLE ASSET Speaking yesterday at the conference of nurserymen, the Minister of Agriculture (who also holds the portfolio of Forestry) mentioned that last ’ year 32,000 acres had been planted, and the Government plantations now amounted to 130,000 acres. The objective was to plant 330,000 acres by 1935, and he thought it would be attained. The policy of the Government was to push out, and utilise the waste lands, which approximately amounted to 5,000,000 acres. The Government had experienced great difficulty in settling the lighter and poorer lands, and he was satisfied if they attempted to settle many such areas for farming purposes the settlers placed there would meet with great difficulties. There was not sufficiently gobd .land in such areas to make a good living on, but if put into forestry, although they would have to.wait many years, in the end the returns, would be far greater than from ordinary farming. Forestry was going to be one of the Dominion’s great industries, and the

Department had been making tests’ to see what could be done with the byproducts. Wood for Paper-pulp.

The Minister mentioned that the Government had sent to America, at considerable expense, some of the native timbers, mixed with exotic timbers which grew very easily here, to ascertain if they could be converted into paper-pnlp. So far the reports had been quite satisfactory. Some of the native timbers—the tawa, for instance—now useless, might thus, perhaps, be turned into account in a profitable way. He hoped to have the tests completed within the next six weeks, and possibly he would be able to announce that, as a commercial proposition, the experiment might be made quite successful. If so, a great fillip would be given to the forestry industry. State Nurseries Opposed. .Later the conference discussed, at considerable length, the question, jof the operations of the State nurseries, and passed a remit viewing with alarm the steady increase of State forest nurseries in various parts of the country, largely started and maintained in active competition with the private forest nurserymen, and calling upon the Government to meet the nurserymen in a fair and business-like manner, with a view to ending the cutting competition now being waged bv the State. A deputation is to wait on the Government on the subject later.