OPTMISTIC OUTLOOK

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 101, 2 May 1927, Page 11

OPTMISTIC OUTLOOK

AFFORESTATION WORK

PRESENT CONDITIONS ONLY

TEMPORARY

Addressing the annual conference of officers of the State Forest Service last week, the Commissioner of State Forests (the Hon. O. J. Hawken) said he' felt sure the public was begnning to realise the great value of forestry to the country. He referred to the great amount of work which still remained to bo done in re-afforesting the lands of the Dominion, but remarked that as present times were somewhat hard it was difficult to find tho money to carry out necessary work. However, ho considered this was only a temporary condition, and he was very optimistic for the future work of the Department.

The sawmilling industry, said Mr. Hawken, was experiencing the difficulties of tho times, owing to various causes which were now being investigated by the Government. Forestry, he remarked, was a long deferred harvest, and that in a sense militated against securing public support for it; the general public was not quick to recognise tho result" to be gained in years to come from the systematic planting of trees. Interlocked with afforestation was the utilisation of the waste lands of tho Dominion," and he was satisfied that much of tho land in the country which was at present lying idle should bo" planted with trees. Ho considered that in years to come forestry would take a very prominent place in the industrial life of New Zealand, just as wheat-growing had bceome one of the principal industries of Australia.

Mr. Hawken said he hoped the present year's operations by tho Department would be as successful as in the work dono in the. past years. He hoped also that .when the country's finances improved up to date machinery would be provided for tho purpose of furthering tree-planting and tree culture generally. THKEE BECORDS. Tho forest plantations /formed by planting during the past year totalled 20,065 acres, while 243S acres had been j-sown by drilling .nd spot sowing/Since i' 1921, when tho Department took control of forestry operations, 99,018 acres had been planted—a State record for tho British Empire. The objective sot down to bo reached by 1935 was 300,----000 acres. A total of 4,822,000 trees had been sold during the year to private tree growers, which was also a record for tho British Empire. In , addition to tho work of the Service, about 50,000 acres had been planted by other interests. The" national forest firo losses had again established a record for Now Zealand and for the Empire. Of a total of 7,(35t>,538 acres of State forests, only 72 acres of forests were damaged by lire, at a monetary loss of £12. YEAR OF SEVEREST ECONOMY. Tho year ahead, the Minister indicated, would bo ono of tho severest •economy; as with other Government' Departments, tho Forest Service must "cut its cloth" according to tho current monetary resources of the State. Tho principal immediate objectives of the Service would be tho formation of 30,000 acres of forest plantation by planting and the sowing of 5000 acres, and tho evolution of ways and means to afforest the live million acres o£ idle Crown waste lands in the Dominion.