TIMBER CONSERVATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17293, 17 October 1919, Page 8

TIMBER CONSERVATION.

FORESTRY LEAGUES WORK. PROPOSALS FOR FUTURE. SEPARATE STAFF URGED. [BT TELEGRAPH.PRESS ASSOCIATION.] t WELLINGTON, Thursday. The annual meeting of the New Zealand Forestry League was held to-day. The president, Sir James Wilson, in hit! opening address, remarked that although comparatively few in numbers, the league might be congratulated on the | progress forestry had made during the past year. It was extremely difficult to change a destructive policy into a con- ; structive one. The president said he desired to em- \ phasise (1) that none of our remaining forests should be sacrificed if the land is more suitable for timber-growing than ; for settlement. (2) That a census of private plantations i be taken to ascertain (a.) their extent in j area; (b) the class of timber; (c) the; probable size and height of timber suitable for milling; and (d) the age. of the plantations. (3) That a vigorous policy should be at once adopted to plant various areas ot sand dunes on Crown lands which are all close to centres of population and railway systems. (4) The passing of a Forest Act to give full powers to the Minister to set up a separate forest department, properlystaffed and provided with sufficient means to carry out the policy announced bv Sir Francis Bell, to that the whole subject of our forests and the conditions under which various native species grow, can j be studied with a view of conservation and regeneration, as well as a continuance of planting on inferior lauds. (5) Abov. all, no delay should take place in securing to the Forest Department as great an area as possible in a kaurigrowing district— a timber which has been classed as the most valuable in the world. Sir Francis Bell, in commending; the members for their valuable and unselfish labour on behalf of the Dominion's forest", assured them that so long as he retained office he would Uy to gather under the control of the Department of Forests as much land as he could get hold of. In view of the fart that at this moment''every acre of land capable of settlement was required for our soldier settlers, this would mean constant effort on his part. The Minister for Lands, the Hon. I). H. Guthrie, made congratulatory references to x the work the league was accomplishing. It was very gratifying to sec that signs of life were not dying out in the forestry league. Mr. Guthrie expressed the opinion that the creating of a separate Forestry Department was a step in the right direction. The subject of forest' regeneration was dealt with by Mr. John Deans, of Canterbury, who emphasised the great tcood that could be accomplished in this direction in planting poor and waste lands with various species of pine, particularly pinna insignis. An educative paper on economic utihsa ton a.> a factor in forest conservation was delivered by Mr. W. .1 Butler. In the course of this he remarked that the question of using our forests to the best advantage had not been sufficiently considered from the industrial and commercial point of view. The encouragement that had been given to unrestricted competition among sawmillers, and the con- | sequent low price of timber at the point | of production, had induced a demand on the I part of the users of timber for onlv superior grades, with the result that a | large percentage of inferior grades— which I would be quite serviceable for manvi purI poses where timber was now used- ■ wasj left in the forest or destroyed at a slab fire. It was probable that 'with the development of industries in New Zealand. and with cheaper transport facilities, the ! demand for lower grade timber would pro- | portionately increase. This would mean j that a lesser annual acreage of forest cropping would meet the community's I needs than if the present wasteful custom I of using only the better grades of timber | were continued. • j In the evening Mr. J. Olch'stoli read a paper, in which he advocated that treeplanting should be encouraged by Government subsidies, or the remission of rates and taxes on the land so planted until the trees reached a reproductive stage. The following officers .were elected : President, Sir James Wilson ; him. secretary, Mr. F. \V. I-'iirkei!,: hon. treasurer. Mr. A. Leigh Hun! ■ members of council. General Sir Andrew Russe'l. the Rev. J. H. Simmonds. |) r . Hay, Messrs. B. (.hamhers. T. F. Cheeseman. (J. M. Thomson, F. \V. Furkert, W. J. Birch, W. Ferguson, and Jas. Hay.