EROSION OF SOIL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23060, 10 June 1938, Page 8

EROSION OF SOIL

DOMINION'S PROBLEMS POLITICAL MEASURES URGED FORESTRY INSPECTOR'S VIEWS [PBOM Otntt OWN CORRESPONDENT J WELLINGTON. Thursday The view that what was wanted in (dealing with the problem of soil erosion in New Zealand were administrative, ' economic and political measures was expressed by the chief inspector of the State Forest Service, Mr. C. M. Smith, in a discussion on the subject at a meeting of the economic biology section of the Wellington Philosophical Society. His remarks followed an address by the newly-elected chairman of the section, Dr. H. H. Allan, botanist of the Plant Research Bureau, who spoke on the subject "Erosion and the Hotanist."

Mr. Smith said it was a pity that the chairman's address had amounted to preaching to the already converted; the address had been worthy of a wider audience. The ltoyal Society of New Zealand, he said, had asked for a lloyal Commission to deal with scientific measures for combating erosion. Those were already accepted. It was administrative, economic and political measures, which ought to be the subject oi a lloyal Commission. Fishermen Affected

"This question affects not only the farmer, but also the fisherman," said the chief inspector of fisheries, Mr. A. ■E. Hertoiv,. "Erosion has done great harm to the Iresh water fisheries iu New' Zealand. The solution of the problem is in the hands of the political fraternity. 1 think it is up to the scientific people to impress that on the politicians. 1 sometimes wonder whether we scientists are not too modest; whether we should not form a political branch."

'After all, no matter what a mess We have made of things in the world, >*. Nature is a great eroder," Dr. Allan said. He showed lantern slides of the ' head', waters of the llakaia, where he said Nature was denuding the country i--at a much greater rate than man had been able to do, although he had done a pretty good job. At the same time, by means of plant life, Nature had been attempting to build it up again, and had produced a number of plants which had been able to establish themselves in an attempt to hold up the debris.

.... .Dr. Allan showed further lantern slides of slopes where denudation had been checked by the growth of a vegej;'. tative cover. Ileferring to one scene in ~ the Buller Gorge, he said man had -managed to destroy the forest on that .slope almost entirely. The forest had >- been succeeded by a cover mainly of fern, as Nature had endeavoured to get .- back something in place of the forest that had gone.

Bemoval of Vegetation Other slides showed once fertile . Valleys covered in shingle and whole hillsides slipping away. The process the j lecturer outlined as follows: First, the _ forest floor was denuded, the soil be- - gan to. creep away, slips occurred,. f there, was an opening of the canopy, r open spaces appeared in the forest, and later great expanses of what looked f lite very bad burns.

-Mr. F. R. Callaghan, officer in charge of the Plant llesearch Bureau, in the general discussion, said the effect of the removal of vegetation was not-noticed until the position could not be redeemed. Wherein ever vegetation had a struggle, soil erosion followed quickly. If there was early appreciation of these dangers and some. guidance, the damage might be leaned and its spread to other localities prevented.