TREE SELLING BY STATE

Evening Star, Issue 20310, 19 October 1929, Page 12

TREE SELLING BY STATE

HOT TO BE ABANDONED explanation by minister [From Our Pa r lia mext ar r Reporter.] WELLINGTON, October IS. The State Forest Service is not relinquishing its policy of selling trees to private purchasers. Mr Taverner, in the House of Representatives, mentioned that, on coming into office, he found that representations had been made on the subject to his predecessor, asking the State to go entirely out of the business. A certain amount of pressure had been brought to bear, and a request was made to himself that he should make preparations to give effect to the proposal. Ho declined to •do so. A conference was then held between himself and the nurserymen, as a. result of which a revised price list, framed previously, was again produced, and finally ratified. The new list increased a little the price at which the State was selling trees. “ I declined to permit the department to go out of the business of selling trees,” the Minister added. “ With, however, the completion of certain parts of the planting programme, a number of the nurseries will not bo required, and these will be Hosed down. Facilities will not then; exist, except in certain parts of the country, for the purchase of trees'from the State. There is no question, however, of the State going entirely out of the nursery business to-day.”