TIMBER RESOURCES

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 24, 27 July 1929, Page 12

TIMBER RESOURCES

NEW ZEALAND'S POSITION

(From "The Post's" Representative.)

LONDON, 20th June Speaking at the Royal Society's city luncheon, Sir Herbert Matthews, formerly Secretary vi the Central Chamber of Agriculture, s;.:d that .the- demands for pulpwood and. timber for collieries, railways, building construction, and various other purposes, could not be met iudeiinitely trom existing supplies. And all these demands were increasing. "A point that needs the strongest possible emphasis," said Sir Herbert, "is that while the Empire supply of hardwoods is probably suificieut for our future needs the supply of softwoods is rapidly disappearing." The-United States of America would be already drawing on Canadian supplies, and Europe was an importing Continent, mainly from Canada. Many of the forests in Europe were to all intents and purposes inaccessible, whilst the output from Sweden was regulated and restricted. Great Britain imported about £100,000,000 worth of timber products annually. Australia imported approximately half its timber requirements. New Zealand also depended on other parts of the world for a considerable portion of its timber and timber product requirements. The haphazard methods of exploiting our resources in the past had created a situation calling for urgent remedy. "Vigorous programmes of afforestation must be instituted," said Sir Herbert. "In our Dominions in the Southern Hemisphere, in Australia, in South Africa, in New Zealand, we have areas of otherwise waste lands "-here suitable trees could be grown more :<!vnntagcously than in many other parts of the world. In New Zealand a succession of wise Governments have set a fine example. It has been proved by the State, after nearly thirty years of practical experiment, that suitable pine trees will grow in the Dominion more than twice as quickly as in the Northern Hemisphere, and will give prolific yields of timber to the acre. AVhen commercial interests at Home appreciate the grave danger of a world 'shortage of timber supplies, and realise the opportunity to provide those supplies within our Empire, then afforestation will be responsible for unlimited potential wealth and .benefit to the Empire."