FORESTRY DELEGATES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20072, 9 October 1928, Page 10

FORESTRY DELEGATES.

Delegates to the Empire Forestry Conference, to the number of 50, arrived at Wellington yesterday from Australia, where they have been travelling and conferring for some weeks. Their itinerary in New Zealand, announced some time ago, will include visits to practically every district where forest activities, either in milling or planting, arc to be seen. In addition, several sessions will be held in this country, so that it will share to a very considerable extent in the conference, of which Australia is the official venue. New Zealand of recent years has become conscious enough of the careless prodigality with which the original forest wealth of the country was exploited, and too often wasted by reckless methods. Realisation of that fact and the extensive planting of exotics are the outstanding features of the forestry situation here. The gathering of delegates representing the whole Empire shows that New Zealand is not alone in the realisation, or in the effort to make amends for what was done and what was neglected in the past. The movement has been of late growth among the British people, who long had to confess, as was done at the fourth annual meeting of the Empire Forestry Association, that scientific forestry was a foreign product." There was one notable exception to this. India had a properly organised and efficient forest service long before Empire countries pluming themselves on being far moro advanced had made a singlo step to provide one. As a matter of fact it was begun when the East India Company still ruled, for it was established during the administration of Lord Dalhousie, whose energy left so many other marks on the economic development of that great country. In Great Britain systematic forestry is dated back only to the beginning of the present generation. In many of the Dominions its birth has been even later. The progress made since has been encouraging. There is now no part of the Empire without a forest service. Still there is much leeway to be made up. -The pooling of knowledge and exchange of experiences possible at these periodic conferences give an impetus to the extension scientific forestry throughout the Empire.