Destruction of oar Forests.

Otago Witness, Issue 2150, 9 May 1895, Page 16

Destruction of oar Forests.

TO THE BDTIOft. Sir, — I waa pleased to eeeyonr remarks on New Zealand timber in joax i-sue of Alareh £8, and also your views oa tlio currency question nud tluit you do not bend the kntw to Eininioiu Jfav ye;.ra I have «ddres3e-i letters to fch« Government aud to leading newspapers, north and soush, poiutingout the wholesale destruction of one of our most valuable assets, and for yeara the Govurnruent have bsen leasing our forests, chiefly alongside water c.vm.\gc and railways at a nominal rental o£ about Od an acre, on the sole condition that tha bus'i should he destroyed. For the prospect of shillings in wool, butter, cheese, Ac, pounds' worth of timber are stnt to float on the braeza^ I mis;ht say millions of pounds' worth of timber have ended in «uoke. This would huve employed labour and enabled the settlerH to Bottle comfortably on cleared land with the country all roaded.inplace of turning men into the busk to live like rabbits, TCgaxdld a of their ability, training, or habits. In one fire at Puhi Puhi many millions of feet of the test kauri timber waa eiuged by the tire passing through it, and although it was very accessible it was left for yeara to tlie worms and to rot, which 1 un ertake to say could nob have happened in any other country in the world without attracting the attention of the G<worn«ment or speculators. I could give many instances of war»ton waste on the part of the Government, or of settlers clearing for graaa for a few cows, or of gumdiggafs t<>ge + . at tho gum, but ill is quite unnecessary, as war has been waged upon thf bush more successfully than upon tho rabbits. But I trust now that tho countiy is awakaoing to the blunders perpc f r*ted that something will be done for what remains. I wrote Mr Seddon on the subject some time tgo, and he acknowledges the mistake and tbe loss to tho cc>-u»t y, and Z believe he is doing what he can to retr eye the grett mistake the country has b«en a;id ia still making, as no bush should be consigned to de« btruction that ia of vatua fur export. This would soon solve the unemployed difficulty if pr3porly gone about, and men would be able to earn, a wage in place of the Government borrowing money for co-operative fad*, vrliich can never pay for the interest and the high wages given to the few who are employed. This system prevents legitimate enterprise, to the dc-trinwnt of our export trade and bonafide settlers and workmen.— l am, &c, T. Mt Glen-Murray, Auckland (Ute Mount Stuart, Otago.)