AFFORESTATION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, 22 July 1921, Page 3

AFFORESTATION

ADDRESS i;v SIR J. O. WILSON'

At- llir ;; 111 ! 11 : s 1 meeting ol the New Zealand Forestry League held at Wellington | ; ,st evening, tin. 1 Hiv.-adcnt (Sir \\ il.su/i) delivered tin- following address: - "Since we last HH'I. iiuvslry in New /.'.Miami has sustained a great loss in 111., ilralh of Sir Da\ml Hutchins. All must have been gratiucd by (tic [act. tli,al Jus life's work in connection with forests in many parts ot ilm Umpire shoiil.l liavt' boon it*<•<")?.’,iiisi■<l anil a. welldeserve, 1 i it If bestowed upon him by Ills Majesty tlio King. Retm-ely hail llio irlin ( ,V I he congeal illations whirh wm- showered npun him < I i<> I away, v.lu-n ho was stricken with his’ialal illness. 11,. had led sin h a \ igneous 1 1 i,< in tbo ispoil, and bad such a line ronsi itul mn taking strenuous e.xerrisr ovrrv day. Mail one telf bis years dealt liyiill v w ith him, and Ins death came as a shock to alb Heath fortnnatelv came swiltiy, trough belore in's I lies Work was done. lie laid been t iai ll c-d in France; worked in tbe Indian forest service ; dealt with tin* forests in South Africa, and reported on those of Cyprus. He eame out with the members of the HriuVli Assueiatiom do made a study of the forests of Tasmania and those of the ddtereni States of the Commonwealth ot Australia, ami v. rote a long report upon them. SI ea rin that be was doing ibis work, tbe Hoard ot Agriculture, procured a promise from the, 'Premier, I bat Sir David would be asked to come. In N.-w /.(-aland to report on our fore>ts ; md alter some delay he eame. and in dome so marked an epoch in die bi.-torv of New Zealand. Wo had lieeii grouping in the dark as_ to our foresls- deploring the destruction, yet not. knowing what to do to arrest it. The More of our kauri forests had td,„oM ,|, 1 jiar! C and although Sir Julius Vi.y.-I in loTd appointed a conservator of n-rcM-. In- services were dispensed, v, 1 11 1 in a lit- <it economy and in the I hi j i v race to s.-ttle the land. Hur r,,rests had been depleted at- an alarming rate. (Ini- sole talk was that _we must niati' erodes for future use. This was tin. imsd am when Sir David arrived in 191'.. and changed the whole i-iineni of ottr thoughts. His gospel was dial we might still conserve and use on remnant of t imher-bearing lands in such a way as to supply our future wants: and in regard to that Milierh timber, kauri, wc could by judicious management, reservation of -xisling Crown lands where young kauris v ere regenerating, and the purchase of similar scrub lands (which allboueb i omparatively useless for settlement were already replanted by Na--11.. 1v and a crop of kauris growing), i-cpav die whole expenses of the war. .He pictured art area of hali-a-million acres supporting a largo and healthy population on land which would, he of much more value to the under timber than any other condition. It should never he forgotten, ton, that lie was the originator of our League, and I think we have been more sueeessfnl than we anticipated at first m •uval;eidn fT the slumbering interest m our timber lands, and in creating an alarm at (he rapid disappearance of what was left and a determination to arre-d this waste. In the five years ho was with us, he probably saw more of our forests than any New Zealander, and even the controversy which he raised as to the relative growth, under forest conditions, of New Zealand and Kmvpeau timber trees, helped to draw public attention to our forest requirements. During his slay Sir David ci.liedr,l a mass of information on the Mibjcil Indeed, the words of Sydney Smith when he spoke of Macau ley. ■ 1„. „,,i iml v overflowed with learning, but simd in tbe slop," me applicable l„ bin. so far as the forest is eontri'in''!. This information has resulted i„ two valuable, works—“ The WairMin;i Forest ’ and "New Zealand 10t-,,,-n-v Hart I" (which is especially .levoiV.l to the kauri). It __ is true Dial lbs style is not- that- of a textbook and bis calculations have alarmed S-,me’ people: but the main fact is th*a.r: ho prmlaimed that wo could so work - our remaining kauri forest, and with the addition of similar land so restore them ns to leave a great heritage to future generations. In 1907, Dr Cockayne, m hia

]l'M.mu'..il H,•]...,■), .'.peaking of l!n; Waipoua FojtM. said : "Before Aery !- i:;;i, at. Ihe !';il 1 ■ iii vl l ir!i !■.;i:ii i is lir mg’ coiin.'i-led,* there w ill be no luresis thiii kind. fuid vi ry few examples ..I the 1 1'.'fs either, 111 I Wentv years' I mu l , or iwcii If---', I here will pass: away fur ever from tin- fact' "l lho earth uric of the noblest of forests and one of the nnii|uc attractions oi Now* Zealand. Our fiords, glaciers and hot springs have their like elsewhere; our kauri forests are nowhere else to he sewn" It was lids feeline; of despair that saddened us all. and the hope that v,e now have, that our pristine forest. Uiav in time In' restored for tie' lullin', is due in the did uni of Sir David Hutchins. 1 do not- think that (ho debt we owe to our late friends is sufficiently understood, and 1 am glad of lids opportunity of recording some slight measure of our appreciation of his serviees. He left uncompleted the second part of "New Zealand Forestry," and it is now in the hands of the Forestry Department, and' will no <in ll iit he published later. Ihe League has always realised that the "advance a gent was necessary to success, Tin* puhlie generally must he interested in its objects. Dublin opinion must, be cultivated, so that when anv expenditure in connection with the Forestry Departim-m. is proposed it will be welcomed by all instead of being looked at with mis- | givings. Ihe .forestry 1 (apartment I has now made a good beginning, and |a i all limes the League lias been I anxious to assist- it as far as is posi sible. In pursuance of this wish thej Conned lias appointed Mr Lawson as ■j an organiser, and he has begun ftls i work in Canterbury with success. Our ' thanks arc due to Mr James Deans, for helping in this work, he having enlisted the assistance of several enthusiasts and startl'd a branch in Canterbury (which Had , little native bush when first settled); hence more has been done (here than in any district- in Urn way of planting exotics, and a recent, report- ot MT Laws-m s shows to what- an extent- this lias been done. Wo an- still without- knowledge as to tin' area we have in plantation in New Zealand, and there should not. he much difficulty in procuring Hit's. It could lie doin' by adding a column on the cards which tin- CovernmentStai isl ician sends out- to collect- the. slock n>turns, which arc supplied annually. In the Auckland JTovince considerable interest- has been shown in fi.i-estry mailers, and we are hopeful that, our friends there will join up with us. The question of (he site for l In' School of Forest: v is, unfortunately, being raised. 'I he League has not expressed anv opinion on the subject of a she. but recognises I hat it is essential to progress that we should have a school and " 'I were well it were done quickly !’’ The Council hope's that, with Mr Lawson's aid. a --real addition to our membeis will result, and that- we shad have (In 1 assistance of many branches to push fill till' good Will'll, j At hist meeting it was suggested that ai ariiele <m New Zealand Forestry should be published in tho School Journal, and 1 i ommumeated with tins i-iitor. who kindly said lie would incbulo in the .Journal anything supplied on the subject, and lids I furnished. As tin- Journal is only published quarterly, and his "copy’ was all ri-adv, ') understand it will appear in : September. The very best- way to , ei'eale an abiding interest in forestry is to begin with tbe schools, and we should encourage the- children to collect seeds, grow and plant trees, tor. , as Lowed says, it is part of our duly j "to plan! a tree." j Sir Francis lb'll, together with Can--1 I iin Kllis and his assistants, have made ■an excellent beginning with Hu* work ’of the Department, and wo shall have . the pleiiMii -■ to-nigh; of seeing par! of (heir wuiT'. 1 look upon it, as a .great* filing for our i'n t uve work that- the sawmillors are taking such an active interest in the League and working cordially with (he Department: and it augurs well tor the future of their in- ' f lust rv that, instead of resenting Hio I work'of the Department, (hey are preI pio-eil to second their eflorts. I cannot- conclude without- congratulating Sir Francis Dell on Hie, judicious way he procured by purchase tho area lof ' kauri ImM nyxi- to that reserve which Mr Trounson so generously donated to Urn public. It was done so quiet 1 v and at- such a reasonable price, anil astonished us all. As Sir Francis once told ns, he prefers demands to I congratulations. 1 am sure lam speakI mg'” for the League when I ask that I he should not be weary of well-doing, luit- repurchase, if necessary, several I hundred thousands of acres of suitable 1 land, so as to extend tho area of kauri forests vet remaining in Hie hands of tho Crown, which would provide limber for Hie future.”