FOREST SERVICE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 7, 8 July 1931, Page 8

FOREST SERVICE

AMALGAMATION OPPOSED; |

JSfcO&lSTi BYj LEAGUE;

'&. deputation from the- New Zealand; Forestry League waited upon the Minister in charge of State Forests (thai Hon. E. A. Bansom) yesterday and urg* ed that the proposed amalgamation oij the State Forest Service with the Landsi Department should not take place. Mr* W. H. Field, M.P.,. introduced the de* putation, and said lie was strongly o4 the opinion that a separate department was essential to the proper carrying out of a forest policy. The president of the league,. Mrw James Deans, said that the feeling. throughout the South Island, and, ho; believed, the North Island as well, was against the proposal. ' Forestry required skilled men and should not be plact ed in a subsidiary position. The service could' find a great deal of work foi the unemployed for years to come. Mr. A. Leigh Hunt, chairman of the; league's council, considered that a' greater appreciation of forestry was, needed in New Zealand. The State! Forest; Service had great responsibili^ ties. It was training men as scientific! foresters, and the expansion of. the service was necessary to reap the benefit' of their knowledge. Mr. D. Gr. Morison urged that it was necessary to develop in the staff of the] service a true forest sense, and that every encouragement should be giveu to that end. Mr. A. Seed said that the sawmillerij were against any amalgamation. la England the Forestry Department was budgeted for ten years ahead, and its 'policy was a continuous one, not affected by political changes. If' anyi amalgamation were necessary on tho score of economy ho would prefer to have the service linked with the Department of Agriculture. ' r In reply,'the Minister said that, so] far, nothing definite had been decided^ He believed that the two Departments' wEich he had been administering for, the past twelve months, really worked harmoniously. Officers of both Dei partments were in many instances covering the same ground, and he thoughti that much, of the cost could be saved,* "Whilst it was true that the Lands Dcx partment had to consider land settlement and the State Forest Service musti . consider forestry as its first duty, ha; saw no reason why they should not work together harmoniously. The Government had to look carefully iirtoj every avenue of expenditure to seaj where economies could be effected. Thai deputation, however, was not too late* and its representations would be most carefully considered by the Gwrariw men*. < ' ,