OUR WASTED WEALTH

Otago Witness, Issue 3333, 30 January 1918, Page 24

OUR WASTED WEALTH

POSSIBILITIES OF DOMINION FORESTS. ACTION BY UNIVERSITY 1 SENATE. The whole subject of the vast national importance of the proper conservation and use of tho timber resources of the dominion was ably and forcibly brought before the University Senate on the 23rd by Mr H. T. von Haast, of Wellington. The Senate was unanimous in its appreciation of this immense source of wealth, and though some speakers attacked the 'Government for its inertness in the matter, others, including the Chancellor, Sir Robert Stout, took tho view that public indifference was the chief hindrance to effective action. Mr von Haast moved: " That for the purpose of encouraging the 6tudy of forestry, the University allocate £l5O a year for three years for a travelling scholarship in forestry, provided that the Government contibute a like sum towards tho scholarship and make some arrangement for the employment in the Forestry Department of the scholar on tho expiration of his scholarship.'" • He said that this motion related to one of the most vital industries in this country.. , Its importance was not realised here as it was in England and in France. In Germany the forests produced a net annual income of £16,000,000, and supported 4,000,000 of the best rural people. In Japan, Portugal, and Belgium forestry was an industry of foremost importance. It had been estimated that forestry would support 10 times as large, a population as sheep farming on the same area. Mr liutchiris had estimated that bad forestry in Australia during'the last ten years would cost the country £600,000,000 during the next 30 years—more than the total national debt and tho total gold production of the country. In New Zealand we had not merely neglected this industry, but had dono our best' to exterminate it. The forestry to bo aimed at in thijj countrywas the conservation of our national forests. The destruction of our kauri forests, Mr Hutehins said, was a national scandal.— ("Hear, hear.") He said that forestry meant in the first place conserving and "propping," as it were, our forests. We had done a considerably amount of planting, but much of it was experimental and its results doubtful. We were at a crisis in Now Zealand at .the present time in the history of our forests. It had been shown that it was iwsafe to allow the national forests of a country to be reduced by more than 25 per cent. In 1886 our forests covered 21,000,'000 acres and in 1915' they, covered 15,000,000 acres. We had now _to make up our minds whether we were going to conserve our forests or to throw away this vital industry. It might be asked what the University had to do with the matter. He took it that the i time had come when the University should be looked iipon as something more than an examining body.—(" Hear, hear.") This was a matter in which he thought they could give a lead and could help the Government in its endeavour to rehabilitate our forests. The first thing was to create a Forestry Department and free it from political control absolutely. Political control in Australia had led to the wanton destruction of national assets for the sake of a few votes. The next thing was to place in oharge of the department a thoroughly qualified expert, and then to provide for education. Apparently they should not start with a,University school, but they should send some of their most promising young men abroad to study forestry either at Oxford or Nancy or Yale. This was a matter which was so vital that he thought that to bring it about they might make some sacrifice of e funds committed to their charge. Their action w r ould appeal more to the Government if they spent 6ome of their funds than if they adopted the general ory in this country, " When you want anything go to the Government for the money for it." Ho asked the Senate to make some provision for a branch of industry which we had done our very best to kill, an industry which would produce a great amount of revenue, which would provide a playground for the people, an attraction to tourists, a remedy for rural depopulation, a means of employment, and raise a sturdy rural population which could be used as tho backbone of a system of national defence. Ho understood there was one young man who had taken his B.Sc. at Edinburgn and gone on to the School of Forestry at Nancy, who was anxious to come back to New Zealand and take up forestry work here. That would give them a start. He suggested that they affirm the principle, refer the matter to Parliament and let the Wellington Recess Committee report on the subject as to the funds available.

Dr Ferguson seconded the motion, and said that the way in, which the national woalth in our forests had been destroyed was nothing short of a national disgrace. At present it was undoubtedly a prime necessity that tho public should be educated on this subject, and it was the function ot the University to dead thought on such matters. Professor Scott supported the motion, and said that this country was eminently suited for the growing of timber. No timber in the world approached kauri in its suitability for shipbuilding. Ho knew of many instances in which vessels built of kauri pine remained absolutely sound after 40 years of hard work. In the Clyde every yacht designer specified that the deck timber should be kauri, but it could not be obtained. The supply at_ the present time Was extremely limited owing to our destruction of the forests. Ho had oonducted a large number of tests on foreign trees, such as oak, planted here within the memory of man. The rapidly grown oak here was equall to that of Continental oak and compared very favourably with that of England. Only the other day he had a boat built wholly of locally-grown oak.

Professor Macmillan Brown said Dr Anderson had expressed doubt as to the growth of kauri, but he had in his garden a kauri that had put on a foot in the last year. He found that the native trees grew just as rapidly as the imported. Kauri trees lived to an immense age, but that was not to say that they did not grow rapidly in their early stages.

Professor Kirk said he would support the motion, but he thought it unfortunate that they had to set out to encourage an industry by giving a scholarship to one man and sending him out of the country to study. The Government had taken'as much notice of expert advice on forestry as it did of expert advice on other matters. He was afraid that the sanguine statements of Professor Brown about rapid "growth would not avail against the facts as seen 'in a

plantation of kauri pines 45 years old in Auckland. There could bo no doubt that kauri was thinning out, and that fire -was going through the forests killing off the young timber that would have been available in 50 or 100 years. • The Chancellor (Sir R. Stout) said it was 44 years since Captain Andrew Walker reported on forestry, and reported in favour of the conservation of timber, but no publio interest had been aroused in the subject. Wo had New Zealand experts in forestry. The Government had done something. Fifty millions of trees had been planted—mainly larch, but also gums and pines. He could confirm what Professor Kirk had said about the slow growth of our trees. The kauris in the Auckland domain, for instance, though 45 years' old, were not more than 30ft high nor more than a foot through. The weeding out of plantations oost a lot of money, and at present the Government did not have the money for this. In the last 20 years soft timber had been largely used for the making of paper, and it might pay the Government here to grow such timber. Jt had not been the want of experts -but the want of public opinion in its favour that had hindered forestry in this country. Mr von Haast suggested referring the motion to the Wellingtgon Committee to report to the April meeting, and this course was unanimously adopted. •