POLITICAL NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11934, 15 September 1924, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES

PRESS GALLERY NEWS WHEN WILL THE SESSION COME TO AN END. MIDDLE OF OCTOBER. While there is a fairly general opinion abroad that the session of Parliament will run to the end of October or the beginning of November, a' Wellinformed Parliamentarian expressed the opinion on Saturday that the House would get through its business before that date, and that members would he able to get away by the middle of October. VERY IMPORTANT THIS WEEK’S BUSINESS. According to the Prime Minister the present will be a very busy week in the House. Without going into details as to the nature of the business he will take, Mr Massey says that the business of the week will be very important. EXCHANGE RATES PREMIER MEETS BANKERS. On Saturday morning the Prime Minister’ conferred with bank representatives regarding the • exchange problem. He made no announcement afterwards, but it is thought likely he will make a, statement to the House of Representatives. WYE AND LET LIVE TIMBER-SELLING POLICY. ihie “lfvei.arid let live” timber-selt ing policy of the service, says the Director 6f Forestry Iri his annual report, is proving iriore arid more popular with the sawmillers arid forest operators throughout the Dominion, lor the fair system of selling', all offerings by public tender ensures an open field and no favours to all-corners. Many small sales were made to co-operative parties, to hand loggers, and returned-soldier pkrtieri under Snch conditions as would enfforfe’ their profitable operations. Ev’efy encouragement Is given to the smaller millers, for to them must the Service look for assistance in carrying out .the policy of sustained timber-crop pfe'dfiefiriri. Iri offering blocks for [sale the selections are made, as far ns possible, from those lands that are chiefly, valuable, for settlement and AgririuTfufe, So thrit every available acre may be secured for primary production ds soon as possible. THE STATE FORESTS A “WIDE DISPROPORTION.’' Dealing with the subject of the constitution of State Forests, the Director of Forestry, says, in his annual report: ‘ ‘At the tdege of the year the area of perrnarieht Stale forests stood at 1674,844 acres, the area of provisional State forests at 5,661,830 acres, and the area of forest reserves at 96,697 acres—a grand total of 7,433,181 acre?: as against 7,315,706. acres in 1923. Ttu wfdq disproportion between permanent State - forests and provisional State forests must he corrected, for it is evident that at least 5,000,000 aerriq of provisional areas comprise lands chiefly valuable for forestry, arid not for agriculture and settlement. In relation to the area of forest lands now dedicated to tirirt*er-crqp production and to protection Of stream-flow, it is interesting to ndte that the total unimproved occupied land of the Dominion hks decreased hy 232,629 kerbs from 1 the year 1919 20 to the year 1922-23; whilst the total increase in the ricreagi of unimproved occupied land which hki reverted to fern, strinb. , and sbedrid growth has increased by 230,708 acre? during the same period (from statistics of New Zealand) ; Tfib total are* of barren and unproductive land indicated for.the year 1922-23 is 1,952,714 aefes, arid to fern, scrub, arid second growth lkrid is 3,963,075 acres, making a grand total of 5,905,789 acres—really a serious burden and a dead weight on the regions in which they hive accumuIkied. The residual liktionklly owned forests _bf the Dominion must therefore be Sacredly conserved fori our present and future needs, fori every acre ol forest land will he required. Substitute 3 and economies .in utilisation will briijl puftikUy offkbt thb ribrinal increase ift dbfnind ai txjpulbtioh increases.”