TREE PLANTING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17177, 29 October 1926, Page 8

TREE PLANTING

INAUGURATION DEFERRED POWER BOARD DISCUSSION. The question of undertaking treeplanting for the purposes of providing power line polos at a later date, was iiiscusscd by the Poverty Bay Power Hoard to-day, when tenders were received for the growing of seedlings for planting out next year. The tenders ranged from £2 to £4 Ids per 10'Hi seedlings., according to their treatment.

My. C. H. Williams said he was one of the committee which had considered the question, ;n\(\ ho desired the board to fully discuss the matter before taking any definite steps. The profits from, tree-planting, he said, were rather over-estimated by the general public and 11 was an important question whether it would pay the board to borrow money to go in for tree-planting. There were many difficulties to be considered. First there was the initial cost, and later' they would have to meet costs of maintenance, tire prevention, thinning, and cropping, with the ultimate likelihood of securing a number of poles per acre much lower than, that which they might now expect. He was fully in accord with the wisdom of tree-planting in the future, but he thought they should delay the inauguration of the policy until the board had a revenue to work upon instead of borrowing money immediately. PLANTING ADVOCATED. Mr. Mirileld also counselled delay, but Mr. A. 0. .Steele thought they should go ahead now with the planting of the seed. Nowadays land was cheaper, lie said, than if would be later on. and in any case, if they did uol want to use the seedlings next year, they would probably have no difficulty in disposing of them. The poles they wore buying now, he understood, were costing up to £4 each, and lie thought; they would be unwise to delay the commencement of planting.

Air. Todd felt that the board would be. wise to inaugurate a planting policy. The poles would not be ready for about '2~> years, and by that time poles would be a great deal more costly than now. RIG EXPENDITURE AHEAD.

The chairman, Mr. F. R. Ball, pointed out that the board had a big programme of capital expenditure, and lie personally was in favor of postponing action for a year at least. He liked the idea, of planting trees, but there was a. serious question as to whether they should rush into it now. If they planted seed they would have to think about the purchase of land for the planting out.

It was moved by the chairman that the board accept no tenders for planting iu the meantime. Mr. Mirfield seconded the motion.

Mr. Corson agreed with both the chairman and Mr. Todd. The board would be badly in need of poles'in 2."> or 30 years, but he agreed with the chairman that the board had no funds for the purpose of planting at present.

Mr. McLean stated that some boards, had decided to use concrete poles. He asked Air. Toogood, the board's consulting engineer, what the cost of concrete poles would be?

.\\\: Toogood replied that the concrete pole would cost about 100 per cent, more than hardwood. The concrete pole, would not necessarily be everlasting.

J n reply to further questions, the engineer stated that the Australian hardwood forests were regenerating themselves faster than the timber getters were cutting them down. The supply of Australian poles would not run out. but, of course, the quality would not lie the same as years went on.

Mr. Todd withdrew his advocaev of inaugurating the .planting next year, stating that the chajvman was more closely acquainted with the finances of the board, and le did not feel justified in opposing the chairman.

Mr. Ball's motion was carried, and (he question was disposed of for the vear.