STATE FORESTS

Grey River Argus, 19 May 1938, Page 10

STATE FORESTS

Milling of Timber NEW GOVERNMENT MILL AT ROTORUA. ROTORUA, May 18. I’ll.' statement that a site has been selected and plans completed for the erection of a Slate mill at Whakarewarewa, near Rotorua, was made by ithe Minister in Charge of .State Forjests (Mr. Langstone). He staled that fit will be utilised for general forest jiitilisation purposes, and will manufacture fruit boxes, crates, and cases, in addition to creosoted posts and poles.

I Hu capital cost of the mil!, for .which tlie machinery was now on order would be in the vicinity of |£loo,ooo. It would be entirely a State undertaking. The forest areas to be utilised were all State planted, and it therefore was most: suitable that they should be used to supply a State enterprise of the nature. Mr. Langstone emphasised that the operations of the mill would be conducted |!n conjunction - with an intelligent polic 1 of rotational planting, wnich pvould ensure a continuous supply of timber for the mill. He added that his Department, was insisting upon a •better system of forest management dhan had been the case in the past, and he claimed that, this had already 'done a great deal to protect and preserve the diminishing kauri forests in the north. Under this policy, the Department was itself selecting points, instead of selling whole stands of trees, as had been done in the past. This policy was also being applied to the rimu and matai forests under State control in the Urewera country. Mr. Langstone said that the output of creosoted posts from the Whakarewarewa mill, during the first year of operation, would be in the vicinitv of 250.000, and thereafter it was hoped to increase it to 500,000. posts annually. The mill should be m operation at the end of the present rear, or the beginning of next year,