GREAT TIMBER RESERVE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19505, 13 June 1925, Page 21

GREAT TIMBER RESERVE.

THE UREWERA FOREST. POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT. (Fp.om Ou.n Own Cobeespondent.) W ELLINGTON, June 11. The Minister of Lands (the Hon. Mr M'Leod), and the Commissioner in charge of State Forests are in accord regarding tho development of the 345,000 acres of forest bought by tho Government from the Urewera Natives. It is practically certain that the land will be reserved as a permanent source of timber supply. ‘lt had been in my mind for' a long time,” Mr M'Leod added, “that tho clearing of the Urewera forests would expose an enormous area of valuable coastal lands to a serious danger of being covered with shingle brought down by the flooded rivers. At the same time there is a great deal of lull land in the dominion, some of it not far from the Urewera country, that once carried good pasture, and is now going back to second growth. 1 desired to make doubly sure that tho same thing should not happen in the Urewera. When I took office 70,090 acres of Urewera lands were open for selection by settlers. I at once withdrew this area from selection and six months ago the whole tract was declared provisional State forest.” All that now remained to be determined, said the Minister, was whether certain limited areas should be retained for settlement purposes. Ho hod already obtained some opinions on this point from those who were Qualified to apeak with authority, and was obtaining other opinions. THE BISKS OF CLEARING. “All the advice 1 have obtained,” Mr M'Leod went on to remark, “tends to support my own opinion that tho clearing of any part of tire Urewera lands would be attended with a great amount of risk. The final decision probably will bs to dedicate the whole area as a permanent State forest I have not very much doubt that there are areas of 200 or 500 acres scattered through the Urewera in gullies and river bottoms which would make excellent farms Taking into consideration, however, the risk of fire spreading from these clearances, and also the largo expenditure that would be entailed in providing road access, it would not bo economical to promote settlement on this limited scale.” Thero were still considerable areas of land in tho Urewera block, Mr M'Leod further staled, in which the consolidation of Crown and Native interests was still incomplete, though tho work was well advanced and was proceeding apace. Bir James Carroll and others had lent valuable assistance, and tho Native owners were cooperating reasonably with the Government. Some minor difficulties arose over the necessary reservations of burial places and kianga .sites which in some instances were in the midst of areas acquired by tho Crown. In dealing with tho area generally, the Minister declaimed it would bo a working principle to avoid forest clearing where this would involve damage to other and more valuable lands, and also to guard against any repetition of tho deterioration which had occurred over considerable areas in three well-marked phases —(1) A wonderful growth of grass; (2) reversion to second growth; (5) tho rotting of stumps and the consequent slipping of land. As one region in which the forest, certainly should be preserved, the Minister mentioned tho shores of Lake Waikareinoana. The Maoris, ho said, had made great efforts to save these forests, and it was much to be regretted that some of them had in the past been swept by fires. A VAST RESERVE. Sir Heaton Rhodes *aid ho would got a report on tho reserve from the point of view of his department. As the Urewera forests wore not at present readily accessible, he added, they might not he drawn upon for timber supplies to any great extent in tho immediate future. They represented, however, an immensely valuable reserve from which vast supples of timber would bo obtained as time went on. The Urewera forests were an important part of a timber bolt which would furnish tho principal future supplies of the North Island, just as the forests of Westland would furnish those of the South Island. “ I understand that Air M'Leod is wrong in his statement that the lands referred to had been declared State forest,” added Sir Heaton Rhodes. “No doubt, however, steps will now bo taken to bring this about.”