AFFORESTATION.

Grey River Argus, 22 July 1926, Page 6

AFFORESTATION.

AIMS OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE WASTE LANDS UTILISED. (By W. J. Keyes 8.A.) rise of commercial afforestation is without doubt one of the marvellous achievements in an age which nas grown accustomed to wonderful hap ' pollings. Less than half a decade ago, the word which heads this article was unknown to the general mass of the public. Governments, making wise provision for the future, had, however, .realised the necessity of reforesting land deprived of tree-growth. Indeed, thirty or forty years ago,- Governments ot the day laid down a splendid forestry policy for the Dominion, which has been taken full advantage of by the '.State at the present period. As a result of early forestry planning, the State to-day possesses forests which have been estimated to be worth, not less than £35,000,000 sterling. Nevertheless, according to the statement ot the Director of Forestry, there are some 760,0Q0 acres of idle waste laud within a seventy mile radius of the citv of Auckland. Vast areas are also

available for afforestation purposes in the pumice country of the North Island which is generally conceded to possess the best tree-growing country in the whole world. ,

Although pumicoous country is unsuitable for most agricultural purposes, its natural use seems to be the growing of essential softwoods which thrive under a rainfall of sixty inches a year in the Putarurii region and adjacent districts. Evidence of the marvellous tree-growing properties of the pumice land was provided recently at the N.Z. and South Secs Exhibition, Dunedin, when a section of a spruce tree grown in Norway, 45 years old, was exhibitor in comparison with a similar tree grown in this Dominion. The NorI wegian tree could be measured in I inches while the New Zealand tree was [several feet in diameter. This exliibiI tion of the relative tree-growing ability of the two countries attracted much attention. I Afforestation has received great imIpetus from the fact that the "world at [the present period is suffering from a [■serious shortage of many varieties o: I timber, and more particularly essentia ‘softwoods. The rise of the artificial I silk industry, which is based upon the I wood product, has resulted in the cutjting out of huge forest areas in the 'older world. America, which is the .greatest timber exporting country, has I adopted a suicidal policy for many I years in respect to its natural forests. ;Timber concessions to exploit the grca< resources of the natural forests of America have been given to companies who have ruthlessly ravished magnificent tracts of country and have made no provision for future planting in denuded areas. Wood-pulp mills, running night and day to meet the over increasing demands of the newsprint and ’general paper industry, have also made a serious inroad on the standing forests of the U.S.A. To-day, however. America is beginning to realise its position, and a belated but sincere effort, is now being made to replenish the wasted forests. New Zealand has been an object lesson to the whole world, and commercial afforestation was pioneered in this country. Foremost amongst European countries in forestry conservation we must, of course, not overlook Norway, Sweden, Finland and Germany, but th se countries dealt with the forestry position from a strictly national viewpoint and no effort was made by them to give the general public, an op portunity of investing in the forestry resources of the country. Tin' Croat interest which has been aroused in commercial afforestation, since private enterprise entered tin field, in New Zealand, is striking evi dence of the belief which the publii possesses in the natural advantages ot the Dominion. Private enterprise has shown conspicuous initiative in estab 'ishing a now industry, that of creat ing vast man-made forests. The reputable afforestation coni]-an ies have made adequate provision foi safeguarding the bonded capital cl investors. According to recent statistics m.'ule available by the Government, some twenty-five companies have been registered in New Zealand for the pur pose of carrying on afforestation operations. Great tree-planting activities have been reported, and one company has over 60,000 Bondholders and possesses nearly a quarter of a million acres of pumice country between Putaruru and Taupo. This company miglil justly claim to he the largest commercial afforestation organisation in the world. Private enterprise, undoubtedI ly, is providing a great deal of employment at a time when it is vitally necessary to absorb surplus labour: .’and apart from labour units, actually engaged ‘n planting operations, im pctus has been given to machinery, and I .iiol.or for private enterprise re 'quires a large number (f tractors, I mot or lorries and all sorts (f iarm implements for the work in hand. | A great volume of capital lias come iinto the country since prvate enter I prise entered into afforestation activities. In propaganda, private enterprise has carried the fame of New Zealand to every portion of the civilised world, and the greatest of all the private companies engaged in allorcstation, has an Empire-wide organisation, which distributes a vast amount, otj literature of advantage to the Do- | minion. I’rom a publicity point o! view, private afforestation enterprise is putting \cw Zealand upon the map in the older countries of the world, and is ably co-ordinating, although i” an unotlicial <-:ipa<-.ity, with (lovcrnment

publicity work in increasing the status <•!' (lie Dominion in .t’oreign countries. One eonipany reicnlly, produced a re markable motion pi. -lure,- which introduces in its scenario, many magnificent scenic grandeurs of our country. No argument can be adduced against afforcFtr.tion. Ono c.f the world’s vital necessities is timber. Trees are th'* arm; of mother earth. Trees reflect ihe Divine Majesty of the great Architect cf the Universe. AMioro they are, beauty dwells; where thev are not, the land is ugly, though it be rich, fc.r its richness is but. greasy fatness, and its gaudy raiment, though it be verdant and p1.:.-ing to the vision, is onlv ai cheap imitation of forest finery. Trees | are the shelter of man and beast and of the birds of the air. Trees fufm.-a the roof above v.s, the shade about ns and the nesting places of love an I song. They are the fittest ornaments | .ef wealth and the inalienable posses- ( sions of the poor, who can enjoy them without having any legal title to them

in the plan of man-made laws. j Trees provide the timber that are ■the masts which fly the flags of all nations and the sails of the seven seas. Trees provide the timbers that bridge forbidding streams, tha’t bear the wir v s of the world’s intelligence, that hold the rails that carry the pulsing traffic of continents. Trees provide the pleas ant furnishings of a home and from trees conics the timber which cradles the young and coflins the dead. 11.R.H. the Prince of Wales, recently referred to the fact that afforestation would have to be taken more serious!) throughout the Empire. The British Isles imported 9,800,000 tons of lumber last year, valued at £47,000,000 stcrli' of which only 10 per cent was Empire timber and recent official statistics gives evidence that .1,200,000,000 acres of forest land throughout the Empire ought to supply a greater share of Brills i imports of essential limbers.

Scandinavian countries have maintained their forests and their paper and pulp industries upon an average annual increment of only 24 cubic feet of wood per acre per year. Canada anc. America hope to perpetuate the same industries, upon an average annual increment of 58 cubic feet per acre per year. New Zealand under proper afforestation methods, initiated on th most conservative plan, will hav< available an average annual increment of no less than 250 cubic feet per acre per year.

Afforestation has. a distinct Empirsignificancp. The time is now at nan when the Empire must produce its own paper, and this particularly applies to Australia and New Zealand which is

at present importing enormous quantities of paper, to keep the printing industry going. Recently, Mr Winston Churchill, Chancellor of the Exchequer, referred to the tremendous nature of I British war debts. This involves a eharga of £33,000,000 at the present period, rising in eight years to £38,000,000. That is to say, putting it nindly, the British Chancellor of th« Exchequer, and his successors in a long line, will have to pay about £lOO,OOO a day every day, for more than three generations, and this, is to America alone. Think of the other debts which Britain must also meet-; of the manner in which Britain sustained the whole of the Allies during the greatest ef all wars and it will be realised that anything which can bo done to improve our financial position, find work for the worklcss, and cut down our heavy imports, is vitally necessary.

Afforestation is a magnificent conception, and as the years go it wil come to be recognised in a grandei manner. As Britishers, and individi ally as members of a great corporate Commonwealth, in an Empire family, baseel upon democracy and justice, we feel a thrill of pride at the enterprise of afforestation pioneers. Those men behind the afforestation movement have gone into the highways, and the by-ways, with their eyes ever stead fastly set towards the beacon lighting up the high-way of progress. They arc planting mighty forests for the fu turn; they are working for the consum mat ion of a grand idea. Afforestation is for them a guiding principle. They have created a forestry sense, am thev are nurturing a natural asset, ii the broadest interests of our race and of our far-flung Empire.