WELLINGTON’S WATER SUPPLY

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 277, 19 August 1944, Page 6

WELLINGTON’S WATER SUPPLY

Forestry Work In Catchment Area

A comprehensive review of the steps which are being taken by the Wellington City and Su'bufban Water Board’ to conserve and reforest the area under its jurisdiction was given to the Hutt County Council yesterday by Mr. A. N. Perham, forestry officer for the Wellington City Council. Mr. Perham said that of the. 76,000 acres placed under the board’s jurisdiction by Act of Parliament in 19137, 56,000 acres had been set aside to be kept intact for all time as a catchment area. A plan of what was being done had to be submitted to the Commissioner of State Forests every five years. The board by afforestation was providing for 50,000,000 feet of timber, divided into 50-year cutting periods, which would give forestry in perpetuity. The board had planted 19,000 pinus insignis trees, and these would be found to be as good building timber as o.b. rimu. It had been asked why rimu was not being planted, but rimu was too slow of growth, most difficult in the nursery, and was a poor transplanter. In the near future New Zealand would have to get down to young timber growth, and people would have to get a different sense of timber values. The old forests had been skinned by goats and deer, and the regrowth was better as a catchment area than the original forest. There was very little totara, matai, or kahikaten in the Dominion today. As a result of the board’s policy there were 1000 more acres of forest in the Kaitoke district than when the board commenced operations in 1937. Cr. J. J. Maher, a member of the Water Board, said the board's wonderful scheme to provide a supply of pure water for Wellington and suburbs was just about to be consummated. It was a tragedy that Lower Hutt and Petone had pulled out of the scheme, but he thought these bodies should be asked to join in the major scheme, even if only for the preservation of the forest. The chairman of the council, Mr. R. L. Button, said the council was heart and soul with the Water Board in the invaluable work it was. doing, aud thanked Mr. Perham for his services as forestry officer.