FOREST POLICY

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 18, 21 January 1921, Page 4

FOREST POLICY

THE NEW PROPOSALS

BROAD LINES, LAID DOWN

CONFERENCE WITH THE MINISTER.

Further details of the new forest policy, touched'upon in The Post last night, were disclosed by the Commissioner of State Foi'ests (Sir Francis Bell) in the course of a conference with the executive of the Dominion Federated- Sawmillers' j Association'this week. The conference j took place as the result of a letter from the association's secretary to the Minister, in which it was stated that the Forestry Department had now had sufficient time to become conversant with the position, and that the tinie had arrived when a public announcement should be mad© as to disposal of timber areas, etc., Sir Francis Bell said he thought the I association somewhat exa^erated the importance of the Ministry in the maiter. _ Car-tain, principles, of which the association was aware, had already, been laid down, and thesej briefly, were the policy of the Government. There were some matters of detail.in. which the Ministry differed with the Director of State Forests, who was advised, by experts, but, he said, he no more claimed to have a knowledge of. scientific forestry than the Secretary'of State for War in Britain claimed to be a general. In. the tiret place, the Government and the Minister were -the sole mind and directing authority. As to matters of detail, if he was not prepared to accept the guidance of his' experts, a Minister was not fit for his position. He believed that forestry areas should be ascertained and retained for forestry, and that New Zealand timber should be limited to Now Zealand Use. Part of what had to be done was impossible in the near future. Somo a/reas should be taken as provisional State forests, out of which agricultural lands might be taken from time to time. This went practically; to the limits he had defined for a. forestry policy. What happened in regard to prices was a-conse-quence of the '-war, arid was no more part of the policy than the 'fixing of prices of groceries had to do with the growing, say, of sugar. ■ The questions put to him by the sawmillers were largely matters ofx administration, and he had therefore asked jthe director to advise him as to what he should say in tho statement he intended, to present to theni. It was impossible in the statement to avoid referring to water conservation and other- matters, in which sawmillers might not be directly interested, but, as far as possible, ■■ contentious matters had been avoided, and it could very well.be said the Statement was something.in the nature of a Governor's Message. The point of tenure had been raised, but a, definite policy had not yet been decided on. ' Sawmillers could, take it from him, however, that the. Department wanted to have the milling industry established on a basis safe for the country and satisfactory to the millers t He "did not think there was really a'very great difference between the millers and the Department. THE CONTROL QUESTION.,.-,/*. In answer-to aques'tion the Ministersaid the Department intended to continue the control on export, but not on prices. ' ... "" ..,', '• The .statement referred! to by the Minister said a forestry policy must provide confidence and security, in every legal and 7 commercial phase to industry and public alike. It must assure: (1) Ample timber supplies at reasonable prices, both in the present : and! for the future; (2) protection and regulation of stream flow, by the maintenance of protection forests ; (3) maintenance as productive forest capital of non-.agricultural areas which might otherwise be turned into (idle impoverished wastes; (4) the transference to forest management of. all existing ■ and future forests ] where water conditions, soil fertility, climate, and public health are dependent upon them. Some basic requirements for the effective operation of the forest policy were: A continuity and stability of policy," a modern and comprehensive forest law, a- nrpgressive timber-sale policy. Permanent- dedication by Act of Parliament of all forested non-agricultural . Crown land's to . forest management (up to the limits- required to produce, by. a sustained yield management, .the/ Dominion's timber need's), adequate forest development funds for afforestation, protection^ education and research. ■....' THE STEPS NECESSARY. To fulfil these requirements it was necessary to make provision for: (1) Uassification of thjj'soil capabilities of all provisional State forests, with a view to the dedication of a-11 areas inoie suiiable for the production of forest crops than afjicultural or pastoral crops. (2) Demarcation, tnd forest organisation of all .permanently dedicated State forests with the application of applied forestry principles to the production of sustained timber crops in perpetuity. (3) Conservation of all forested regions from which flow streams. (4) Steady acquisition of forest. lands from the Native owners. (5) Application of a forest-fire tion control. (6) Gradual, building of an eft'ecti-wniadmiiiistrative ' instrument—a State Forest Service manned largely by New Zealandors who have been trained in technical forest schools' in New Zealand, "'(7) Establishment of a professionaKcourse in forest engineering in a university college, and two State ranger .schools^-one in each Island. (8) Unified control and administration of the pwmanent and provisional State forests by one administrative body (the Forest/Service), as regards all activities. (9) Reinvestment of all realised revenues ./from the disposal" of State forest and provisional State forest timber in the construction of improvement* within their boundaries. (10) Allocation of a proportion of all net revenues l'eceived from the sale of virgjn'timber to the county within whose boundary the f6reat or forests are located, for the purpose of building and maintaining roads and bridges, and for educational purposes. (11) Formation of a small, advisory Forestry Board (honorary), to advise the State Forest Service on matters concerning its activities. (13) Promotion of fornst research,-' (14) A more exhaustive study of the possibilites and practical application of forest-fire insurance. (15) Diffusion of knowledge regarding' the forests and' tore3t resources of New Zealand. (16) A survey or census of"the forests. (17) Restriction of timber export. The exploitation of N'cw Zealand forests to keep pace with the jiomestic needs of the Pa-> minion. (18) jßonsistent and steady afforestation by the State 1 in the Kotorua, Hanmer Springs', and Tapantii districts of about 4000/ncros pev year. (19) Financinl assistance by the. Government trt co-operntiva profit-sharing tree-plant-ing ■ schemes' desired by local governing bodies, county councils, municioaiitiea, etc., and extension of co-operative .ib-: sistance to private individuals desirous of 1 carrying on private ■ forestry; operations by tho supplying of planting material at'low prices,-.competent'technical advice, and assistance in the formation of/working plans. - WHAT IS HOPEB>'FOR, The statement also tfent into deta.il concerning proposals- for a progressive t.iinlver-Ktvlrt pohiiy (cUb-H wi-tfi Mi itnoUiel" , column of thi* issue), and then concluded

by saying :—Operation. 1 of >this New Zea-. land forest policy should 'result both in the present and m the future in : (1) continued supplies for wood-uliing ind-us- | tries at. tho lowest possible cost; (2) a ' continuous and sustained' supply of timber to meet the local and national needs of the peopleof New Zealand;. (3) 'adequate protection of all water .supply sources and safe control of stream- flow ; (4) utilisation of all forest soils at their productive capacity; (5) the closest use of all the forest resources of the people; (6) stability of the timber industry." \- - THE ADVISORY BOARD. In, the "course of subsequent discussion the chairman of tho •executive of the Millers' Association (Mr.- W. J. Butler) referred to tlie three plans for the organis-. . ation of the forest service mentioned in j the Director's report presented to Parliament last session, and said the millers: favoured plan two. This provided for a> Forest Commission, composed. of the Minister, Director, and Secretary of Forestry, and a- representative, caen of the forest industries, the consumers, and forest labour. The sawmillers thought they, should have more representatives '■ than was proposed on the small' advisory ' board of four spoken of by the Director j in the statement presented, to them by the Minister. If a representative committee was appointed to adyise th» Forestry Department, more continuity of policy would be obtained.. He suggested a committee of five, with the Minister as chairman. . ■, In answer to-questions, the Minister said ho was-against the workers having any power; in the. pafct they had been influenced by the lawyers. But he was equally against existing rights being prejudiced by' taking, away the .warden's power. ' Referring to the selection of an appointee on the small advisory forestry board, Mr. Bntler urgedl the Minister to give preference to' the nominee of. the j federation, which represented 90 per j cent, of the milling capacity of the Dominion. He also suggested that an outside! miller might be appointed to the board, which would then give the two representatives, on the board desired by tho millers. ' . EXCHANGES WITH AUSTRALIA. The Minister expressed his willingness j to consider the appointment of the fed- j oration's nominee; In reply to a qu-es- ] tion, he said the restriction placed on export would not apply only to timber from State forests. He was prepared to consider , the question of exchanges of .supplies of timber'with other countries. Mr. Butler referred to the section of the last session's report .dealing with the revision of royalties, and asked if this was tho expressed policy of the Department, or only a suggestion put forward by the Director.' The .Minister repliedthat they, might take it that it was going to be done. In reply to a question as to whether the' proposals for controlling Stats reservations were to apply to freehold and leasehold areas, Sir Francis said that under the law it was provided that the Minister must give permission before timber on. 'private lands could be sold, and it was more than pro.babte that the conditions of sale in such cases, would include gtich- provisions, but otherwise., than that the Department would not, and could' not, interfere with private owners. .