STATE FORESTS

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11783, 20 March 1924, Page 2

STATE FORESTS

WELLINGTON’S SMALL AREA RESUMPTION FUND SUGGESTED BY FORESTRY LEAGUE. DEPUTATION TO MINISTERS. A deputation from the Forestry League urged upon the Prime Minister and the Commissioner of State Forests (the Hon. Sir R. Heaton Rhodes) yesterday morning that a special fund should he created for the resumption oi land for State forests. SMALL AREA OCCUPIED-. It was pointed out by the president of the Wellington branch of the Forestry League (Mr D. R. Hoggard) that in the Wellington conservation region, comprising practically half of the North Island, only 5.4 per cent, of the total area was occupied, by permanent State forests, and of that small percentage more than half was above the timber line. The permanent State forest area was thus reduced to 2.4 per cent, of the whole. His fear was that the lower lands were going to suffer from the loss of timber on the higher levels. He did not wish it to be thought that only 2.4 per cent, was in bush, for there was about another 2 per cent, of provisional State forest area, but that only gave a total of 4.4 per cent. How many acres would that mean? asked the Prime Minister. Mir Hoggard: Not more than 15 millions. There was, he added, a fairly large area of privately-owned bush and scrub land adjacent to the provisional State forests. An area of 10.7 per cent, which was covered with bush or scrub was not sufficient to ensure the safety of the country. The land ought to be protected from the elements in the same way as the pountry was protected against foreign aggression. The Forestry League would like to see a fund set up to purchase some of this privately-owned hush land, which, if not purchased, would be burnt, and the fires might extend to the existing State forests. Mr Massey: They are very anxious to sell, I may tell you.

Mr Hoggard said that that was a reason for buying; and the creation of such a fund as the deputation suggested would ensure that for all time the land would he preserved in hush. “CHASING THE GOVERNMENT.” The Prime Minister remarked that the owners were chasing the Government with the land every day in the week. That was the honest truth. Besides, there were many millions of acres of Crown land in the North Island that would not be any use for anything but forestry. Mr Hoggard suggested that a great portion of such Crown land would be included in the provisional State forests. Under the existing financial provisions, he added., it was practically impossible to expect the Director of State Forests to purchase any private-ly-owned land. A total of £500,000 had been authorised to be borrowed for State forestry purposes, but he imagined that the bulk of that would be gone. In the. five years ending 1923, £15,000 was spent on State forest purposes, and only £1064 last year. The fund wKlch was suggested might be constituted’ by contributions from the Consolidated Fund, but it was felt that the object justified the expenditure of loan moneys. Mr Massey: It is for me (as Minister for Finance) to handle the loan moneys. I cannot allow anybody else to do it. FOREST DENUDATION. Reference was made by Mr R. W. Holmes to the great extent of forest denudation .during th© past fifty years, and the great increase in the cost of railway-sleepers and building timber. This increase, he maintained, was largely due to the inaccessibility of the forest areas; and he urged that advantage should be taken of any opportunities to acquire the remaining pieces of forest land which were within easy reach, and that only such areas as would be easily accessible in the future should be SOME REAFFORESTATION NEEDED. The Prime Minister, in reply, said that he agreed that something in the way of reafforestation was necessary, adding that millions of acres were available for the purpose. The settlers should' be encouraged to plant trees suitable for marketing purposes. Propaganda was necessary, and he was Inclined to take it on himself, aB no one else seemed anxious to do it. Sir Heaton Rhodes: We are selling trees at cost price to the farmers, and the demand' is increasing. Mr Massey: I am to hear it. The Prime Minister als© referred to the need for growing more white pine for butter boxes, for which there was a great demand from Australia, and stated subsequently thaFhe would obtain a report from the Lands Department with regard to the areas which were available. Knowing the importance of the work, ho was quite willing to do everything that was possible, but it must be practical. He would have liked to see the prisoners kept on treeplanting. He thought that they gave better value that way, although they Bad done some good work in other respects—in road-making and in break-ing-in country. England and France had both done much reafforestation in the past; and the foresight shown by Englishmen in that respect had had its reward. There were, he believed, millions of acres in the Dominion to plant, and the Government would put in the trees as quickly as it oould he done. The deputation’s representations would afford ground for thought. FINANCE THE DIFFICULTY. Finance was the difficulty, said Sit Heaton Rhodes. He sympathised with the request of the deputation, but the Government had not the money to buy up land wholesale. Mr Hunt said that those interested In forestry felt everlasting gratitude to the present Government for what it had done in this matter. “We are not unmindful of what has been done, and we appreciate it every possible way,” he stated. Mr Massey: Oh, we will do more. Sir Heaton Rhodes observed that the Government encouraged the private individual fo plant by enabling him to buy trees at cost price.