CORRESPONDENCE. OUR TIMBER SUPPLY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 107, 2 November 1909, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE. OUR TIMBER SUPPLY.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — The timber report recently laid before Parliament, and the reviews of it by tho various journals of the Dominion, may at last have the effect of causing people to realise the vast importance of this question of timber supply, and to demand that tire business should be boldly taken in hand by the establishment oi a, "Department of Forestry under tho direction of officers with the special knowledge necessary for the successful management of the business. That such experts are to be found in New Zealand, a perusal of the many special reports indicates ; and though, perhaps, thejr might in some respects be inferior to a man trained under the splendid systems of France, Germany, or India, yet they would have a knowledge of local conditions that would be al)?cnt in the latter. The best man should he got as director of a neiv forestry department, and he should be paid a salary proportionate to the great importance of tho work and the scientific knowledge required. We have si < highly-paid expert at the head of our geological branch of the Mines Department, and it may safely be said that the classification of rock formations and the correct placing of fossils in supposed geological ages is a work incomparably less important than tho management of State forests. The value of the limber iised in this colony for different purposes at the present time is approximately three and aquarter million pounds sterling, which ia already little short of the total value of\ ths whole lot of our mineral products. In sixty years the mineral production will probably have diminished, but the timber requirements will be largely increased ; all our indigenous forests will be cut out, and without our re-planting operations are very much increased, we £>hall be paying away about three million pounds annually to obtain the timber we shall reqxure. Private owners cannot be expected to plant on any large scale, as the returns for the expenditure are too distant. It is, therefore, an un dertaking 'on which the Government alons is in a position to embark. ' In New Zealand, the wooded area ih about 3 per cent, of the whole. In the German empire it is about 20 per cent. It is a mistake to suppose our native forests can be made by imposing new regulations, to last much longer than the estimate ; for any one who has seen a forest that has been milled must admit that as a rule all the trees of value for milling have been taken out, excepting, of course, the timbers for which there is at present no" demand. — I am, etc. , ADVANCE. Wellington, 30th October, 1909. WHITE AUSTRALIA. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — Every well-wisher of Australia must be more than pleased with your article in Saturday's Evening x"ost on "White Australia;" also with the Church of England Bishops sitting in congress at* Perth, for drawing tho attention of the world to the great and eitipty continent now belonging to the Commonwealth. Every thinking man who knows anything about Australia must admit that unless Iheia are some drastic changes in the government of that country in the way you suggest in your article — the allowing and giving of every encouragement, scope, and fcecurity to private enterprise for the purpose of building railways, promoting immigration, and the development of big towns and cities in thoic vast empty spaces — the future of Australia will be for the Chinese. That is, "if they are not forestalled by the Germans. I was in the vicinity of the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1874, and s.nv richer soil there than I have seen in New Zealand. There was no poll tax on tho Chinese in those days, and they were arriving at Gooktown at tho rate of from 800 to 1000 pea- month, each steamer carrying that number. These were men who ate their food with chop-slicks, and had never seen anyone use a, knife and fork. Yet not one of them starved or became a burden to the State. Everyone must admit that China is wakening up, and, like Japan, 'is advancing very rapidly; and it is folly to maintain that a worldPower of the future, with more than 400,000,000 people, will for ever submit to a poll-tax iniposed on them by the Government of Australia with a stationary population of 4,000,000. When the federation of the Australian colonies took place, its ardent advocates felt sure that great problems, such as you deal with in your article, would be the principal occupation of the Federal Parliament. But, to the bitter disappointment of its best friends, the members of Parliament have confined their atten- ! tion to matters of purely domestic I concern usually attended to by the colonial Parliaments. All must admit that this is duo principally to the struggle for existence tho various Federal Governments have had with- the representatives of tho great and allpowerful Labour trusts; and xintil these are actuated by a national spirit for common good, there is very little hope for tho salvation of Australia. — I am, etc., ADVANCE AUSTRALIA. Wellington, Ist November, 1909. PLUMBERS' REGISTRATION BILL TO THE EDITOR. Sir,— Would you please publish the following copy of a letter regarding the above subject : — "Office of the Minister for Public Health, Wellington. Dear Sir,— Your, letter of the 29th ult., addressed to the Hon. Mr. Fowlds, has been referred to me. In reply, I have to inform you that I hope during the coming session to introduce a Plumbers' Registration Bill, which will provide for the registration of plumbers throughout the Dominion. — lours faithfully, D. Buddo, Minister for Public Health." That is the present position of the long-drawn-out agitation by Master Plumber Conventions, Plumbers' Union, deputations, letters to The Post from "A Handy Man the Plumber," and others. — I am, etc., WILLIAM DOBSON. Ist November, 1909. CURE FOR THE ACCOUNTANTS ACT, 1908. TO THE EDITOtt. Sir,*— l have been reading with interest all the correspondence appearing in the columns of your paper, relating to the interpretation and effects of the Accountants Act, 1908, and note that no suggestion has been mado as to how the matter could be remedied. Granted that the Act is defective, in so far as not distinguishing clearly between registered accountants and public accountants, and the rights of each, might I, in the interests of the latter class and those who have been studying with a- view to qualifying themselves as public accountants, uuggest the following remedy: — An amendment should be passed as "early as possible, embodying the following essential clauses: — (1) Every person, including registered' accountant*, who ctasiro to comment practice as ft public ascoun£&nfc §hsii> in

futuie, pass an examination in (a) general knowledge, (b) advanced bookkeeping, (c) law ; subjects (b) and (c) to -cover the same ground as is at present covered by the syllabus of the examination of the Institute of Accountants. (2) Every person in public practice at the date of the passing of the amendment to be exempted. An amendment, as outlined, would do much to restore the confidence of the public in publk accountants, 'and would at once end tffe quibble as to "whether the council has or has not power to use its discretion in the matter of allowing or disallowing registered occounlants to be raised to the status of public accountants. It would also remove the absurdity of the power of 2100 odd registered accountants (who have been registered mainly on the strength of declarations and affidavits) of requiring persons, who merely wish to become registered accountants (i.e., on a level with themselves) to pass a stifjt^ preliminary examination — an examination which should only apply to public accountants. An examination in bookkeeping would then suffice for persons who desire only to be lsgistered accountants. — I am, etc., OUTSIDER. Wellington, 28th October, 1909. SUGAR MONOPOLY. XO THE EDIIOB. Sir, — Kindly give me a small space in your paper tor a few words about the Sugar Monopoly. Heading your paper to-night, I was> glad to see Mr. Poole's and Air. Hogg s remarks re sugar, but they did not give ths lull amount of the vh'i. Soon alter the duly was takan off there- was ths report of a meeting of the company published in your paper and the protitb dccla'red were stated to be £160,U1X) odd. The remarks of the chairman were to this effect: — Keep the price down, so that no outsider shall come in. We have got all the material to supply all the colonies. Well, a few weeks alter, it was notified in the press that there was a rise in sugar oi 10s per ton. Some months after, there was another rise of 10s>,, and last month a rise of ss. That makes £1 5s per ton since the duty was taken off. 2sow, sir, when the duby v/as taken off the trade dropped the price to 2d per pound.- The price then was £16 per ton ; now it is £17 ss, and yet the trade are cutting their own throats, selling at 2d per lb. The bags used cost more than the sugar to say nothing of twine and labour. I say here, and while the douse is sitting, put the duty on again, and that £200,0U0 will give work to people who deserve it, and want it.— l am, etc., DOWK WIl'H MONOPOLY. THE DELUSIVE THREE-FIFTHS. to' the editor. Sir, — As a solution of tho majority question, I make the following suggestion: — That with tho view of making nohcenso ponnanont wherever installed, the "Trade" bo required to secure the same majority tor restoration as was secured for no-license. Thus, if an electorate carried no-hcenso willi a 500 majority, the "Trade" would havo to procure a similar majority before restoration vvas carried. Seeing that Auckland, Wellington, rr.d Dunedin had majorities of irom two to three thousand, and other thirty electorates had majorities of 500 and over, 1 think you will agree that the permanency ot no-licanae -would be assured. As a bare majouLy advocate, I am prepared to give it a trial. — 1 am, etc. BELMONT. 28th October, 1909. TRAMLINE DEVIATION. TO TIID EDITOR. Sir, — I notice that it )3 on the board to make a, de\iatiop of the tramline to Willisstreet through Morcor-.strcet and Victoriastreet. This is, in my opinion, tho most thing that ihe city authorities have done for many a long clay. It is well known that this route attiacto a terriblo number of podeslrians in the day timo, and it would be tho main artery at night only it is so dully lit up that it is not advisable for females to .venturo by Uirmselves, but when the tramline and the electric lights arc on it will assuredly brighten this thorouufhfaro and relieve the congestion from Willis and Manners streets. There is already a loop-line or siding made nearly half-way ill Victoria-street from Lower Cuba-street. ' This new loop will be of great servico to people who arousing tlin 'J own Hall and Public Library, especially to those coming from Thorndon. 'J hey have now to iranship at the railway station, and get a Wallace-street car to tako them past tho Tcjwn Hall, whereas the new arrangement would land people at the libiary and Town Hall without having to chanire. It is ako on tho tapis to erect another theatre or music hall on tho vacant section opposite the Public Library, in which ease this will bo another source of profit to the tram authorities. Looking at things generally, I must urge upon . the City Council not to let themselves be put off this proposed loop by any possible means, and, as I said before, if-- is tho most sensible thing they have thought of doing for many years. Trusting that more of the residents who use the trams will back me up in regard to the convenience that will accrue, — I am, etc., RATEPAYER. "Wellington, 27th October, 1909.