STATE FORESTRY

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 September 1945, Page 3

STATE FORESTRY

— ——o- —1 REHABILITATION SCHEMES WELLINGTON, Sept. 6. Plans for rehabilitation forestry projects in live West Coast areas and four Canterbury areas have been made by the Forestry Department. In this report, tabled in the House of Representatives to-day, the Director of Forestry (Mr. A. R. Entrican) outlined the department’s five yeai’ rehabilitation plan. “A notable feature is the provision of comfortable living quarters for servicemen to be employed, both married and single,” said Mr. Entrican. “Wherever possible 'it is proposed to establish community villages, well provided with amenities whicn will render living conditions comfortable and attractive/thus enabling competent, stable and wellcontented personnel to be built up.” Mr. Entrican said an aggregate area of 29,200 acres had been acquired either for the planting of open land, or for renovating existing forest. In addition, 26,500 acres had received Government approval for- purchase, 2000 acres were under negotiation, and 126,700 acres had been selected as suitable for development. The gross area acquired during the war was 173,400 acres, to which must be added 77.000 acres already bought by the State’and not yet planted. The-loca-tion of these areas was such that most parts of New Zealand would have timber producing forests. The number of State forests for which planning had been finished was 40. Under the department’s plan, employment will be found lor 2400 servicemen, and the estimated expenditure amounts to £5,000,000, including £3,300,000 for wages. To supervise this work, and to assist in the control of new forest areas, it will be -necessary to increase the department’s staff by 200, and the expansion of felling and extraction operations will require another 400 men. The department’s present staff is 1300 persons. The exoandcd activities of the department" during the first five postwar years will require 4,300 men, with an expenditure of £11,400,000. Supplementary rehabilitation projects have been planned to find work for an additional 600 servicemen in the first year, and 1100 more men in tha second and third years, with a reduction of 400 men in the fourth and fifth years. Most of this work is not immediately essential, and could be deferred for many years, but could be organised as an emergency employmmt schehip. Mr. Entrican said the rehabilitation programme was confined to immediately essential works, mainly an accumulation over several years of deferred silvicultural treatments, principally to exotic forests. With the overtaking of these accumulated deficiencies towards the end of five years, it was planned to reduce the rehabilitation complement by about 40 per cent, leaving the forest service with a carefully selected and welltrained personnel. The location of rehabilitation projects in Canterbury and the West Coast is as follows: Ashley, Eyrewell, Balmoral, Hamner Springs, Lake lanthe, Rimu (Hokitika), Granville (Grey County), Te Kuha (Westport), and Reefton.

INDUSTRY’S PROSPECTS WELLINGTON, September 6. “There is little doubt that unless the downward trend in the profit margin is reversed, either by reduced costs or by increased prices specifically approved tor this purpose, then the industry must languish under an ever-increasing feeling of defeatism, engendered by nine years of price control —a period, incidentally, three years longer than that under which anv other industry has operated.” sai’d the Director of Forestry (Mr A. R. Entrican) in his annual report tabled in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr Entrican said the office 01. the Timber Controller had been forced to the reluctant conclusion that the cumulative effect of long-continued price control had attained such proportions as to threaten enterprise and stifle progress in the industry. While the industry had never seriously challenged the dictum laid down m 1936 that price increases would be . permitted only to extend sufficient i relief to cover proved increases in costs resulting either from _ higher wages or more costly supplies and equipment, it did feel that the time > lag involved in securing approval W | seme of these costs had, over tne years, imposed such a burden on most operators’ that the reduced profit margin was not commensurate with the risks involved. The timber industry’s war-time production record is claimed as unsurpassed by that of any other industry, in the report of the Timber Controller. Mr Entrican said that with the accession of manpower in the post-war period, it was confidently anticipated that no trouble would be experienced in rapidly reaching a production level adequate to the needs of New Zealand’s, national economy. Mr Entrican, pointed out that with 10 per cent, fewer employees, highly diluted in skilled personnel, the industry by working extended hours had increased production by almost 10 per cent. What had assisted io throw this achievement into bold relief had been serious recessions in the production of cement and bricks, at the very time when they might have relieved the demand for timber for hospitals, secondary schools, and other buildings,, for which they were more suitable. Similarly, in the field of housing, critical shortages in linings, bath tubs and ranges had become increasingly significant, and the service rendered by the timber industry had become better appreciated. Willi adequate skilled and balanced personnel, and provided all other deficiencies, such as tractors and critical items of equipment, were remedied, established operations could produce ()n a 44-hour week basis as much as 450,000,000 board-feet, compared with a current production of 350,000,000 board-feet, as long as their bush resources lasted. Unfortunately, mills were cutting out the immediately convenient resources. It was for this reason that so much current emphasis was - being placed on the expansion of the timber cruising staff for the reconnaissance of new areas and the re-location of old mills and the establishment of new plants.