WELCOME TO A SISTER OF ST. ANDREWS CHURCH.

Otago Witness, Issue 2454, 27 March 1901, Page 8

WELCOME TO A SISTER OF ST. ANDREWS CHURCH.

Sister Christabel, who recently arrived from Melbourne to undertake work in connection with St. Andrew's Church, was formally welcomed by the pastor and the congregation at a social gathering in the church hall last Thursday. The Rev. Dr Waddell presided, and there must have been about 300 ladies and gentlemen present. The proceedings opened with a pealm, and afterwards Dr Waddell gave a short address outlining Sister Christabel's successful career in Melbourne, her qualifications, and the character cf the work she would be called upon to undertake in Dunedin. In introducing her to the coYigi'egatici, he did so in the words of St. Paul (Romans xyi, 1-2: "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church. . . . that ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh the saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she may have need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also." Sister Ruth, in the course of a sympathetic and earnest address, welcomed Sister Chnstabe on behalf of the Young Women's Christion Association, under whose auspices she herself worked. They welcomed her most heartily for many reasons: they were glad that the Church of God realised that a system and a method of working were required that would bring the church into contact with all sorts and conditions of people and all classes of humanity; and, further, that the church realised there was an aspect of the work for which women were particularly fitted, and that the Presbyterian Church was recognising that women had gifts and graces which by consecration might be used by God to help the poor and lost around them. Dr Waddell intimated that Sister Christa.bel had already been ordained a deaconess of the church in Victoria. She would piefer not to address those present collectively, but, would rather go pmongst lh> m and speak to them individually. To enable this to be done there would be an interval for refreshments, in the course of which those present could be introduced to Sister Christabel.

The proceedings tnen took a more informal aspect, and the meeting became a social gathering in a literal sense. Tea and cakes were handed "round by the ladies. During the evening songs were acceptably rendered by Mies Ferguson and Mr C Ruben. Miss "Wilkie acted as accompanist.

The Mount Morgan Company last month treated 18,740 ions for 18,038cz of gold, being the largest and best average yield since September.

The "Superlative" raspberry is the finest raspberry in oulti\ation. Obtainable only from Nimmo AND 13LAIE. Only a few left. (o order e&rly.

Cur Approaching limber Famine, TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, — What shall we do when our timber 13 x exhau-ted? This is a moet momentous question, but it is oi o that the people of this colony will have to find an answer to "very, 'hortly. The leriible wa^te of Miluable tLnbe.* that has been going on in tins colony for years is now beginning io uiake itself* felf. Tho mills of Southland are eating up the bushes of the province at railway ?peed. In a few years, said to be 20 at the outside, the one-time splendid bushes of Southland will be practically worked out. Timber for building purposes has been going up m prie© steadily for several years, and it is now allowed to be about 100 per cent, higher than it was Pooie 10 years ago. Men who should know say thai within the next 10 years rough building timber will run up fully another 100 per cent. A problem even now is how to house our poor. What shall we do if we have to pay fully twice the present price for building material? If it is difficult to find sleeping room now, what will it be the cost of building is doubled? This is no alarmist letter— it is written by a man who knows what -he is writing about. Timber is going to be of much more importance to the welfare of the people of this eoleny than many are aware of. The forests of Tasmania, equally with' those of Australia, are beginning to show, theoaffeefcs. of man and fine. In thebush country the c-ry is heard the loudest, be-esu-e it is only those who earn their livingj-felling-cfmberwho-know howTeailydifficult it ' is to get good sawing timber. Ill' conversation wifh one of the large mill-owners ofSouthland recently, the writer wai assured , that few of the areas at present leased for Faw- ' milling purposes would staTkl out for 20 . years, and many would be cut out (and, remember, the best timber has aheady been cut, many of the areas are being gone over again) " in a few years.

American forests are being exhausted at a verj. rapid rate ; whole States have been deforested during the life of many now liviyg. The question cf timber, cheap and plentiful, will settle the future of psople as of States, and the first thing that our people should consider is how best to conserve our remaining forests.

That forest conservation ought to be one of the first questions dealt with by the House during the next session there can hardly be a doubt. Young trees should be protected, vorked-out sawmilling areas should be replanted, and there ought to be an act passed right away to prohibit the felling and burning of milling timber for settlement purposes. Millions of feet of valuable timber have been allowed to be frurnt. both in the North Island and the South. This is worse than waste — it is a national crime. The timber land of this colony is of much moie value to the people than any such small farm settlements can be. In fact, it would have paid the colony far better if every email and large settler had been paid a pension by tho colony to sit down and do nothing, rather than allow such settlers tJ burn off aud destroy the inheritance of the people. The time has arrived, too, when Parliament should consider the question of putting an export duty on all timber leaving these shores. The splendid kauri forests of the north are rapidly being- sent away to Australia, and. in a very few years where ehall we have to go to supply our constantly growing demand ? We can got no such timber from Australia. Tho soft wood of the south is also being exported at a great rate, and.- if allowed to continue, we shall, in a short time, simply be stripped* of our patrimony. The forests of the colony arc national property, and no single individual or company should be given p, free hand io deal with them. The export timber trade should be controlled or regulated by the State. It is national madnees that allows an industry to grow until it begins to cat out the very vitals of the State. In such a manner is a people made to suffer for the greed of a few ! Remember that deal- building material means higher rent, high rent means that poor people are compelled to overcrowd and everybody knows that overcrowding is a. menace to the moral and healthful being of the /people. Remember, a timber forest is not like a field of corn — this year you cut the corn, and next another crop grows up in. its place. Remember, the only way you can keep up the 6upply of timber is to plant a tree for every tree you cut down. Remember tho fate of Northern Africa, cf the one-time lovely vales, of Palestine, and pause while ye have yet time — I am, etc., CALLIOPE.