OUR FORESTS

Grey River Argus, 16 April 1937, Page 4

OUR FORESTS

Conservation Movement REPORT ON CONFERENCE. At the meeting of the Greymouth Branch of the Canterbury Automobile Association on Wednesday evening, Mi F. A. Kitchingham gave a report on the conference on Bush Conservation and Amenity Planting at Wellington. , at which 120 o r 130 delegates from all parts of New Zealand attended. The conference, convened by the Hon. WE. Parry, Minister of internal Affairs, ( arose as the result of the concern of the Governor-General and Lady Galway at the destruction of the natural beauty of the bush and their wish to assist in beautifying the country in suitable places. ' Lord Galway, who presided, suggested discussion on matters which might be classified under the following heads: (a) Preservation of the existing native bush; (b) replanting of native bush in areas where the forest has been destroyed by fire; (c)' planting of roadside trees; (d) encouraging local bodies and private individuals to plant belts of trees and suitable shrubs and trees so that they may be in keeping with a scheme of beautification; (e) ensuring that trees, once planted, are properly cared for until they are firmly established; (f) precautions against fire; (g) taking steps to ensure that the ravages of deer in the native forests are properly checked. The Governor-General made several valuable suggestions, which were enumerated in the report. He had urged that one of the main objects of the conference should be to develop a. “tree-sense.’’ Hon. W. Parry dealt with the mistakes of the past, the denudation of hillsides and valleys; the scarring of mountainsides through great landslides; the replacement of beauty with ugliness, namely of virgin forest with rank weed growth; and the reckless acclimatisation of plants and animals. He emphasised how every year whole hill-sides were devastated through carelessly thrown matches or cigarette butts, and how many of the' hillsides, slipping in a night, have ruined thousands of acres of rich land and caused river erosion at a national and private cost terrible to think of. He urged a, national drive to educate public opinion. He urged that the various local organisations should be co-ordinated under a Dominion body with district branches and local committees, so that, all might pursue a national policy. He outlined the Government’s policy, which would be to substantially increase the Scenery Preservation vote, and the funds of the Lands and Survey Department available for expenditure in publie domains and national parks. The Government recognised that, for many years, the work of the Lands and Survey Department had been rendered very difficult by lack of adequate funds; and that there was need to provide special aid from the Consolidated Fund for th e State forest service to supply from nurseries native plants or seeds for amenity planting; to provide an annual sum to help in the campaign of education and' propaganda-; to plant lands controlled by various Government Departments; and to make an annual grant, towards the expenses of a national organisation which might be the outcome of the conference. Hon. F. Langstone, Minister of Lands and Commis-loner of State Forests, and Mr E. V. Sanderson, president of the New Zealand Forest and Bird Protection Society, ah’ gave addresses .Among other suggestions from the society was one which was adopted in a slightly different form from that, put forward by the Institute of Horticulture, in that all lauds should be immediately classified under three main headings, viz., agricultural, pastoral and forests, which would cover commercial forestry and protective and scenic forestry The main resolution passed related to the approval of the Government’s scheme to set up a national organisation to co-ordinate the work of existing organisations and to carry out propaganda work, and provide technical assistance, etc. It was left to the Governnient to appoint a small committee to g 0 thoroughly into the matter with a view to getting the organisation placed on a sound footing, A vote of thanks and appreciation was accorded Mr Kitchingham for so worthily representing the branch; also to Dr. McKay for the time spent in (Wellington at his own expense at the conference.