VALUE OF TREES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25050, 14 November 1944, Page 6

VALUE OF TREES

MORE PLANTINGS ÜBGED FARM SCHEME SUGGESTED The gravity of the outlook for the future timber supplies of the Dominion was emphasised by Mr F. A. Harcombe at a meeting of the Auckland District Council of Primary Production yesterday. Mr Harcombe suggested a more vigorous approach to the question of reafforestation and the development of a scheme to encourage farmers to plant with trees areas of unemployable land on their holdings. He said present plantings touched only the fringe of future requirements. Mr Harcombe visualised the establishment of farm forests or plantations —farms on which every piece of rough, unsuitable farming land was planted in trees. There were many thousands of acres of that type of land. He had 200 acres for planting, and many farmers could do likewise, but it would require a scheme for finance and for the supply of the young trees. The chairman, Mr R. C. Clark, said that once the Forestry Service had a good scheme under which trees were supplied to farmers for afforestation purposes, but that was discontinued during the depression. It would be a good thing if it could be revived. The real need was for hardwoods. The Government was already softwoodminded in its forestry operations. A resolution was carried urging the Government, in view of the hardwood shortage, to increase its afforestation efforts and that nurseries should be established for the supply of trees for farmers' plantings. OWN TIMBER TAXED FARM-GROWN TREES PLEA FOR RELIEF FAILS Farmers are pressing to have the sales tax removed from timber sawn from logs owned and used by them. The position is that a farmer who produces trees and has them milled into sawn timber has to pay sales tax on the milled value of the timber, even if itr is for subsequent use for buildings for the farmer. The question has been the subject of considerable correspondence both with the Customs Department and the Minister of Customs. Recently it was taken up by the Auckland District Council of Primary Production, a no 1 - n response to its representations the AS&ional Council of Primary Production nas forwarded a copy of a letter sent by the Minister of Customs to the New Zealand Farmers' Union on the subject. This letter sets out the official reasons for charging farmers sales tax on their own timber. "I have noted the point that this timber is required for the farmers' own use," states the Minister's letter, "but I think it must be appreciated that in almost all cases the ultimate payer of sales tax on any goods is the consumer of those goods, or in other words the person who buys them for his use. The fact that the farmers require the timber for their own use, therefore, cannot be regarded as entitling the timber to exemption from tax. There .seems to be no sound reason why the farmer who is lucky enough to be able to utilise logs on his own property should be exempted from the payment of tax on the timber produced from them, while his less fortunate neighbour is required to pay tax on similar timber which he buys for his own use. I regret, therefore, that it is not possible to grant the concession." TRAINING OP WORKERS CRITICISM BY THE UNION

(0.c.) ROTORUA, Monday Comment on the statement of the Minister of Rehabilitation, Mr Skinner, regarding the training of various classes of ex-servicemen desiring to enter the timber industry was made today by Mr C. Lindsay, a member of the national council of the New Zealand Timber Workers' Union. Mr Lindsay said the Minister's statement inferred that all the representatives of the industry were in agreement with the proposals as set out. This was quite incorrect. The joint committee, which included representatives of the Sawmillers' Federation and the Timber Workers' Union, recQmmended that the period of training should be 12 months in all classes of work set out in the board's schedule, and also for work done in yards, which class the board apparently intended to ignore. "To infer, as the Minister's statement does, that bushmen can be trained in all phases of the work in three months is frankly ridiculous," said Mr Lindsay. "Apparently the Rehabilitation Board's policy is to disregard the recommendations of people actually engaged in the industry. Speaking of the wages proposed to be paid to the trainees, Mr Lindsay said he had made it clear in committee that the attitude .of his union was that award wages must be strictly adhered to. He considered that the Minister's proposal constituted a slur on the efforts of the men engaged in milling and bushfelling. He had, therefore, recommended to the national officers of the union that they dissociate themselves from the proposed scheme. Mr Lindsav's remarks were endorsed by Mr W. Seator, national president of the New Zealand Timber Workers' Union. COMMISSION WON Advice has been received by Mr and Mrs H. S. LorinVer, of Takapuna, that their son, R. T. Lorimer, has been commissioned in the Navy in Britain. SubLieutenant Lorimer, who is aged 22 formerly held a commission in the rsew Zealand Territorial Forces and went to England in January. He was educated at the Belmont School and Takapuna Grammar School and was employed by the Auckland Harbour Board before enlisting. . Sergeant Colin James aged 23, who has gained his commission in Italv, is the son of Mr and Mrs H. Levick, of 64 Prospect Terrace, Mount Eden. Second-Lieutenant Levick was educated at the Auckland Grammar School, and enlisted in 1940 with the territorial forces. He was commissioned in the same year, but went overseas in July, 1 ( J43, as a sergeant. While on active service he voluntarily reverted to the rank of gunner, but in June of this year he was again promoted to sergeant. . . Flight-Sergeant John Furniss, son of Mr and Mrs J. H. Furniss, of Ruawaro, Huntly, has received his commission in the R.N.Z.A.F. He is aged 21 and gained his wings as a bomber pilot before leaving New Zealand in September, 1943. Since his arrival in Great Britain he has been posted to an R.A.F. squadron. YOUNG AIRMAN'S "SUCCESS Unusual success has been won by a young Aucklander who is on service with a Lancaster bomber squadron in Groat Britain. He is Flying-Officer Noel Culpan, younger son of Mr and Mrs Rae Culpan, oT Takapuna. At the age of 20 ho is captain of a Lancaster and has been promoted to the rank of flying officer within a very short time of receiving his commission. Flying-Officer Culpan was a member of the Auckland wing of the Air Training Corps before his enlistment and he is stated to have been the first of these cadets to gain his wings. He left New Zealand in August, 1943. His elder brother, War-rant-Officer John Culpan, also of the R.N.Z.A.F., has been a prisoner of war for more than three years.