WHITE PINE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 24 July 1924, Page 8

WHITE PINE.

NEED FOR CONSERVING SUPPLIES. (BT TELEGBAPE-t-PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WELLINGTON. July 23. The necessity for conserving not only the Building timbers of New Zealand, but also locally-grown supplies Which, are used in connection with the pastoral industry was stressed' by a deputation from the National Dairy Association representing' the dairying interests ol ihe North, Island, which united upon Sir Francis “Bell this morning. The deputation ashed that the Government take into consideration the question of prohibiting, the export of white pine or kahikatea, from the Dominion. A sympathetic reply was given by Sir Francis Bell, Acting-Commissioner of State Forests during the indisposition of Sir Heaton Rhodes. Mr A.' Morton, f chairman of theassociation, said that he hoped tji»t the position with regard to the. dwindling supplies of white pine would' be. relieved by the importation of timbei suitable for. packing. The, Forest Service Department estimated thaif'at the present rate of cutting local white pine resources would be exhausted within fifteen years. The demands of the industry were increasing as production increased, and would soon be double or treble the present figure. Sir Francis Bell hoped that no one imagined that he (desired to see timbers exported. When he was Commissioner of State Fcvrgsts he had placed restrictions upon the export of w'hite pine, but he found ' himself against a difficulty that he could not prevent the settlement of kahikatea lands, ■which w r ere being burned off large areas in the northern districts. It was impossible to prevent those areas being cut and burned. 'T wilt have the matter carefuly investigated.” said Sir Francis Bell, ‘“and see if wp can define -the areas which the Land's Department will agree should be. preserved from settlement- and in which cutting will be restricted.” He was 1 , informed that 34,000,000 feet of white pine were exported last year, against 53,000,000 feet in 1914. He would he glad if the Dairy Association could suggest means to the Forestry department by which kahikatea could he preserved for their ov'n purposes without retarding settlement. Sir Francis Bell remarked, in conclusion, that they might imagine that they were up.against the' savmillers, but that was not the case. They were up against the settlers.