AFFORESTATION

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 14 August 1925, Page 5

AFFORESTATION

WORK OF PRIVATE COMPANIES

A MEMBERS WARNING

LEG!SLA.TI ON SI’GGEBTBD

FROM OUR PARLIAMENTARY REPORTER. WELLINGTON, Aug. 12. During a. -short discussion on the ina,titer of afforestation in tine House this afternoon, Mr. 0. Ha-wken, (Egniont) expressed the tear tliat all the tricks played in America by forest compauies! would bo played o.n the people o,f New Zealand. Legislation to protect the public would be absolutely necessary, for very lew people knew anything about forestry planting, and these would be induced to invest m companies which would not give the leturn set forth in prospectuses by my means and which might in some cases prove absolute failures. li the Government took time by tho forelock and legislated lor the protection of the public, -a great deal of heartburning und financiaii loss' would he saved to individuals. The Government had now planted 150 million trees, and if these ■were going to he worth £4 each in from twenty to thirty yeans, as some of the prospectuses declared, the national debt of New Zealand would be •.veil in hand. It was that sort of calculation which deceived people and legislation w'as required to protect them. Air. La iigstoue (Waimurino) insisted that it was .the duty of the State to replant forests instead, of allowing private companies to exploit the people. Many thousands ol acres ol punuiice land in tho North .Island belonging to the Government were admirably .suited for afforestation and should be utilised. The State had the land and could raise the money, but no Ret of individuals or a small company could wait twenty or thirty years for returns.

Tho Minister in charge of ihe State Forests (Sir R. Heaton Rhodes) .said that lie would reply to the criticism when the report of the Forestry Department was laid on the table, in three or four days* time.