TREE PLANTING

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 54, 12 September 1928, Page 9

TREE PLANTING

WATER BOARD'S LANDS AN OFFER DECLINED Two reports dealing with a proposal made to tho City and Suburban Water Supply Board by the Hutt River Board recently that the latter body should lease 5000 acres of land for tree planting wore beforo members of the Water Board to-day. The Forestry Officer (Mr. A. K. Perhan) stated: ■ "After a thorough study of tho relative portions of the Act, it is considered that the City Corporation has oxclusive control and management of the lands in all matters pertaining to forestry, and no power is given to lease land to another body for this purpose. "Further there are several reasons which make it inadvisable to lease the land to the Hutt River Board. Briefly, these are:— "This portion of the board's areas is the most suitable of any for afforestation, and if properly set out and tended will eventually produce the greatest returns. "All forestry operations are to be carried out on working plans prepared by tho City Council's officers and under the approval and supervision of the Hon. Commissioner of State Forests, and the advent of the Hutt River Board in forestry work will introduce a multiplicity of control which may not prove satisfactory. "From the correspondence on the matter it is assumed that the idea of the lease is to enable the Hutt River Board to hurry on planting operations. It is considered that the most satisfactory and economic manner of achieving this is. for the board to augment the funds of tho City Council, as is provided for in section 45, Part XII. of the Act, and all work of this nature kept under one control and management." The City Engineer (Mr. G. A. Hart) remarked that the reason set out appeared to render it undesirable that the board should lease any portion of its land to an outside body for tree planting, but as ho was of the opinion that the board had no power under the Act to do this, it would be desirable to have legal confirmation. The reports were adopted.