Control Of Waipoua

Northern Advocate, 5 August 1949, Page 5

Control Of Waipoua

WELLINGTON, Fri. (Sp.) “There should be complete separation of the commercial activities of the State Forestry Service from that of the administration of our forests,” said Mr S. W. Smith (O—Hobson), when discussing the Forests Bill in the House this morning. Mr Smith said that when the Waipoua kauri forest was being controlled by the adminstrative branch of the Forest Service, he felt reasonably happy. Its forest cultivation and replanting policy gave reasonable assurance that the future of the forest would be safe, but under the terms of the bill there would be a director in charge who looked at timber with a commercial eye. and he saw great danger to Waipoua and other native forests which New Zealand should strive to maintain. He did not wish to close up the whole 30,000 acres of the Waipoua Reserve. and believed that a good compromise could be made which would safeguard the kauri and let some portion of the area be utilised. He understood that about 1000 cattle were roaming about Waipoua Reserve. It was time these were rounded up and utilised.