TIMBER ON THE GOLDFIELDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 929, 18 September 1869, Page 2

TIMBER ON THE GOLDFIELDS.

That the scarcity of timber in this province is ' one of the greatest drawbacks to our mining enterprise,' — as Mr J. L. Gillies asserts in the report of his tour through the goldfields — is an assertion which no one can call in question. The necessity for a large and ready supply of timber in mining pursuits scarcely requires to be pointed out. In the early days of the gold discoveries, timber was in demand on the diggings principally for firewood. The miner's occupation was then carried on with the tin-dish or the cradle, Now-a-days, however, the surface gold 13 left for Chinamen, while Europeans seek the precious metal with the aid of elaborate mechanical appliances. In eveiy branch of the pursuit — and there are many — timber ia an essential requisite. Deep leads cannot be reached except by means of shafts and drives heavily slabbed with timber from tho surface downwards j dredge 3 are constructed of timber; the races which convey water for many miles are connected by means of fluming made of timber; quartz reeling could not be carried on, nor could bank sluicinjc, hill sluicing, or ground sluicing be made to pay, without the assistance of wooden appliances. It is evident that the consumption of timber on the goldfields must be very great, and that the demand for it must steadily increaso with thoir increasing development. Tho scarcity of that commodity must consequently operate, not only as a heavy tax on tho production of gold, but also as an obdtaclo to tho development of tho goldfields. It Is a drawback to mining enterprise second only to a scarcity of water. It would no doubt havo boon easy for Mr Gillies to havo illustrated his remarks on this subject by an account of tho actual state of uflairs. 110 might havo shown how tho miners at Shag Valley, Macraes, Hyde, Hamilton, tho llogburn, Ida Valley, Dunstan Flat, and their environs, have to depend entirely «|>or* tho Hawksbury bush ; how tho minors in tho valley of tho Clutlia, Mamiherikia, and the Dunstan, havo to dopontl upon tho supply brought from Tapanui ; andl how tho minors in th« iinper valley of the Clutha, at Cromwell, Novis, Arrow, and tho Shotovor, havo to depend upon tho Earnsclough bush at tho veiy head of Lake Wakntapu. Ho might thon havo pointed out how heavy are tho charges and how vexatious the delays to which tho minors all over tho province are thus subjected. Such a narrative could not fail to attract attention to a matter which seriously require** attention. Tho authorities should look to it. While tho necessity of improving the water supply is admitted, tho necessity of improving the supply of

great obstructions to the^deV^lopin^'of ■ the goijifielßs^buVit'is one.wnick,inay. be dealt Vith', and should therefore be attended to. Mr Gillies suggests that j every possible encouragement should be given to persons willing to plant trees in the various districts of the province ; and in the case of one district — Clyde — that prison labour should be employed in fencing, in, preparing, and planting a piece of land with a view to climatic changes. It is not to be doubted that, if the Government were to take' the matter into consideration, means might be readily devised for the purpose of promoting the growth of timber. During the debate which took place in the House last ,year on the Forests of the Colony, Mr Stafford .promised that the various Provincial Governments should be communicated with on the subject. We are not aware that any steps have been taken, either by the, General or the Provincial Govern ments, for the purpose of protecting the forests, or promoting the growth of timber. 'The matter is one of peculiar interest to Otago, and as it is now officially under the notice of the local Executive, we hope that it will not be neglected. The policy of improving the supply of timber for mining* purposes suggested itself some time ago to the Victorian authorities. The Eeporfc of a Royal Commission, appointed in 1867 to enquire into this subject, states :—: — * The quantity of timber used in miniug operations on the goldfields is very great, and tho difficulty of obtaining it in the most important districts is felt to be increasing to an inconvenient degree. The cost of timber for underground drives is now in many instances a very serious item of expenditure ; and if this cost were increased to an appreciable extent, it would be likely to have a most damaging effect upon the mining enterprise of the colony. It is therefore of the utmost importance that steps should be taken to protect and foster the growth of young toees near the goldfields, and, where necessary, to replant the tracts denuded of trees in order that a constant supply of timber for pit props and other purposes may be easily obtained,'

The climatic considerations involved , in this question are undoubtedly important. Every country in the world furnishes abundant illustrations of the effect of forest lands both on soil and climate. Tho extensive destruction of timber has been invariably followed by ruinous consequences. The soil has lost its fertility — the rivers have become liable to disastrous floods— the climate has been affected to such an extent as to drive population away. On tho other hand, the extensive growth of timber has been known to produce precisely opposito effects. Tho instance quoted by Mr. Gillies — that of the town of Ismailia — is not oxactly in point. In that case, tho arid soil of tho desert was fertilised — not by means of plantations in the first instance — but by the irrigation resulting from tho fresh water canal of M. de Lesseps. Trees grew as the soil becamo raoist. Cause and effect speedily acted and reacted on each other. Wo need not travel beyond our own province, however, to obnervo tho operations of Nature in this direction. Throughout tho inland districts, whore evon a patch of scrub is an oxcoptional feature of the landscape, wo find moisture in tho soil and clhnnto to bo equally exceptional. So much is thin tho case that last year's crop upon tho Dunstan was so stunted that it wm cut with great difficulty. On tho other hand, in tho neighbourhood of our biwh lands — Dunedin, for oxamplo — tho want, of moisture ia rarely if over a subject of complaint. Thoso results are oxplained by saying that tree*, by affording shelter to tho soil in hot Huaiiono, pro* vent tho evaporation that would otherwise* go on ; and by that moans they preserve tho springs. Tho Australian gum tree Appears to bo a solitary oxcoption to this rulo. Ite pendent folingo affords little or no shelter to tho soil beneath it. Evaporation is coiuioquontly unchecked, and thiw we havo the raro spectacle of forait land* deficiont in moisture

;JLhE& } $i tie delay and the,,disappoin^;oaent to'^hiclittne ( people .of this- province have (been subjected in ! the matter of railways it is gratifying , lio, find that 1 steps have at length been. . taken for the construction of the line to, Port Chalmers. We do not doubt that the proposed Company will be readily formed in this city. The required amount of capital ,is not largo, and if any stimulus were -wanting, it will be found in the guarantee of eight per cent, from the Provincial Government. There is little difference of opinion either as to the necessity for a line of rail to the Port, or as to the financial results of such an undertaking*. Until' a railway is constructed, ,the community must continue to suffer the inconvenience and the loss which are found to attend the present system of communication. It is admitted on all hands that the aotual state of affairs with regard to the discharge of ships is intolerable. What between the consignees who refuse to pass entries until it suits their convenience, and the Custom House authorities who refuse to adapt their regulations to the necessities of bhe case, the practical results to the community are seriously prejudicial. Perhaps there is no porfc in the world in which so many unnecessary obstructions are placed in the way of the shipping and mercantile interests. The want of jetty accommodation has been a standing grievance, and it has only partially been remedied up to the present time. These after all are but the minor inconveniences of the case. They might be either modified or removed. But the harbour itself presents an obstacle which is destined to stand in our way to the end of time. A very large amount of public money has been expended upon it in the shape of dredging, but with no very adequate result. Had the money been applied in former years to the construction of a railway, we should not have had any reason to regret its misappropriation. It is a matter for extreme surprise, indeed, that the construction of the railway has been left to the present time. A moment's reflection must be sufficient to satisfy any one that a cheap line of rail between the port and the city is the only means of obtaining satisfactory communication between the two. It might have been obtained some years ago. A very little share of practical wisdom in the administration of affairs would havo sufficed to prevent the absurd expenditure of money which has taken place in our ill-directed efforts to obtain it. Considerably more than £100,000 has been spent during the last eight years in dredging and reclaiming operations. This expenditure is still going on. Aa nobody appears to believe in it, it is high time that a more satisfactory system should l>o introduced. If wo recollect that goods landed upon the jetty at Port Lyttelton aro delivered in a fow minutes after at Christchurch, wo shall be able to appreciate the merits of a ay stem •which entails a delay of several weeks between tho arrival of a ship and tho discharge of its cargo.

The financial praspoctu of this undertaking— an of all other undertakings of tho kind — arc of course oi>on to question ; and it is not surprising that argumontK should bo brought forward to show that tho prospects aro bad. A correspondent has recently stated that railways running parallel with water communication havo nofc boon successful in other countries. So far as wo arc awnro, no «uch proposition has been broadly laid down by onginooring or other authorities. If a railway cannot liokl its own against a canal, it i« vory Bingular that canal« should havo boon superseded by railways all over tho world. A» to the linoa from Melbourne to Sandridge and Geolong, it must bo recollected that tho circumstances of tho two awes aro not at All similar. We aro compelled to choot»o between a system of water corainiimcation, which places grievous obstruction in tho way of busmen*, and a railway system which would remove thoHO obstruction* at once. In the Mfllboiirno linos tho goods traffic is not Alfcotod by any snoh consideration. If tho lines did not oxiut, tho stoamor*

would still * supply "teat efficient meanr of carriage. ■' suck/ loss; ' an<l s inconvenience would ' be ; entailecl upon '.the, mercantile community of Melbourne and Geelongas are ao^ endured by i our own. The position of affairsi with us is such that the construction of a! line to the Port is a matter of necessity. It is' forced upon us by circumstances. "We have practically no alternative. We .cannot reasonably hope to bring ships and steamers of anyj tonnage up to our jetties. Dreams of that kind are not indulged in any longer. And again, it must ] not be forgotten that the Victorian lines have been constructed at an average expense of £33,000 a mile. We propose to construct our line at an expense of some £5000 or £6000 a mile. This is a consideration of some importance in the calculation of profit and loss. But even with the extravagant rate of expenditure on the Victorian railways, it is well known that, notwithstanding the competition on water, the lines referred to have paid better than other lines which have no competition to contend with. The amount both of goods and passenger traffic on such a line as we propose to construct is too great to be seriously affected by the competition of lighters and steamboats. The traffic of both kinds is always on the increase; and the rate of increase is necessarily more rapid than that which takes place on lines in the interior. The passenger traffic between Port Chalmers aud Dunedin at the present time is very inconsiderable ; but it might be reasonably expected to increase under the influence of railway communication, The expression of opinion a,s to the cost of construction, contained in the resolution carried yesterday, is not put forward, we presume, as embodying the latest results of railway engineering. It is hardly within the province of unprofessional men to speak authoritatively on the subject. No satisfactory evidence has yet been laid before the public which warrants the belief that railways suited to our purpose can be constructed at a cost of three or four thousand pounds a mile. According to the most recent authorities on the subject, the average cost of the lines in Canada was £12,600 a mile; in British India, £18,000; in Queensland, £9000 on one line, Ll 1,400 on another ; in South Australia, £5000. The framers of the resolution referred to were apparently misled when they quoted the cost of the Queensland, South Australian, and British Indian railways at £3500 to £4000 a mile. The public will have good reason to be satisfied if they succeed in obtaining a railway either to the Port or to the Clutha for £6000 a mile.