The Timber Regulations.

Southland Times, Issue 9410, 7 January 1887, Page 3

The Timber Regulations.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, — The Timber Regulations issued under the State Forests Act, 1885, are now iv force throughout tie colony. Aj they are a »übject of importance to the sawmill industry, and in November last were debated with some ability en both sides of the question in your newspaper, I think the time not unreasonable to make a few remarks on the subject. There is a certain amount of truth in your correspondent " Kauri's " remark that a " sinful wrtate " haa in come cases occurred. Professor Kirk in his report of lti h November, 1885, alludes to the same abuses, and remarks with regard to Southland, that, 11 Tne amounts paid for royalty have in some cm s been considerably below the amouots actually due. In other cases the totara and matai have been Ukcn out in the sections, leaving large quantities of red and white pine standing, bat altogether insufficient to pay another s&wmiller for taking up the abandoned ground. ... A large forest section has been treated in this way a few miles from Winton. . . . Another in-

stance was made public ... in a report of a meeting of the Southland Waste Lands Board, published in the Southland Times of 30th January. Asawmiller applied for an extension of area, which was objected to by the Ranger, oa the ground that he had only paid royalty on 141,1 9i*,upeifi "i&i feet, while the quantity ia the section was estimated at 1,400,000 feet. It was stated that the discrepancy was partly due to the quantity <A timber left standing ; but it is evident that euch a ridiculous return — le»« than 4i per acrr — would never have been made bad an efficient system of supervision ben in force, . . . Ike Waste Lands Bjard . , . hue recently ordered a eawmiller whose returns

had been proved incorrect to make good the deficiency, which with the cost of enquiry amount to £143." Such are some of the charges of abuses and wastefulness which have been nude officially to Parliament ; and which of course cannot be justified, but I bslteve that most of the«e charges apply to mills which were cutting railway sleepers perhaps ten or twelve years ago ; and to these mills only do "Kauri's" remarks apply, when he says — " Rip out the prime is the motto, and away with the rest to the slab heap or away to the slab fire. . . .

Thousands upon thousands of feet of- timber out of which much useful stuff might b« cut goes daily to the slab heap or away to the slab fire." Had "Kauri" added that thousands upon thousands of good railway sleepers have been rejected by Government inspectors, and lie in stacks to be di«p;sed of by chance sale to farmers for fencing posts st one-third of tbeir reputed value to produce, he would bave completed his picture of "sinful waste" and brought home the charge to the right quarter. Professor Kirk should not have neglected to report the inordinate rejection by the Government of sawn sleepers and the •♦sinful waste" tha f has arisen by the sawmilleia endeavouring to cut sleepers free of sap wood and shakes The Professor nvgh also have discovered in his travels, and reported, that the totara and matai trees do not grow la'ge 'enough, like kauri, to cut sleepers and bridge beams without a comer of sapwood, except at an enormous sacrifice of material. He mignt well have stated.thet where the totara and matai were taken out. and the red and wbite pine left standing, the mills were erected to supply the Government with timber at places where there was not sufficient local demand. The fact ie that the system of charging royalty in Southland at 3d per 100 superficial feet is at the root, of the whole evil, and •hen a change in the timber regula'ioas took place the Government should have reso-ted to the Otago sawmill regulations, which hitherto have been to charge a royalty of 2 ls per acre. The Forest Hanger's duties are then made very simple. lie has merely to see that a b madary track »is cut around the area of land granted, and that the s&wmi!ler does not cut. down trees outside of it. I

am aware that it is the idea of the present Ministry, that this royalty of 21s per asre is too low, but, if so, the price jer acre might be raised without disturbing the principle of changing upon the acieageof land granted. The Government must, howevtr, not forget, that prices of limber are very low for red and white pine within the colony, and when we attempt io expert it we find it will not fetch a price to justify a b4gher royalty. With regard to lotara and matai the royalty appears to be raised to from Is to 2s per 100 super, feet, no doubt because a higher price is obtained locally for »leepers and bridge beams, but the inspection on such timber by the Government is very strict, hardwood ODly being taken, and there is a large waste of •naterial in complying with this condition, I do not think, therefore that any extra 'royalty should be charged, more especially as totara and matai are found to grow mixed up with red and white pine, and the sawmiller when taking up his area of land, whether under the ne* or the former regulations of Otago. must pay for all timber fit for sawing within hi* boundary. It may be argutd that the Public Works Department, which is the largest buyer of totara and matai, must pay the extra royalty which the Forest Department is now exacting, and that it is merely a charge of one department of the Government upon another ; but I contend that it is unfanly made so long as the Public Works Department continues to import aleepers and other timber from abroad free of duty. As an article of general trade the increased charge of royalty on totara and matai places it practienliy upon a par with Tasmanian hard wood, and will give great encouragement to the importation of the latter wood. -An argument is adduced in some quarters that we are cutting down our forests too quickly. I think, however, that far too much is made of this, and with the exception of kauri the remark does not apply, On the contrary it will be found that the crop of red ard white pine and birch is practically inexhaustible, and is going to waste faster chan it is being cut down. This remark of course does not apply to places near riilways or harbours, but anyone conversant 'vith the vast extent of forest land throughout. New Zealand must know this, and must have noticed that many trees are left standing by the fellers because they are hollow, or show some marks of decay. As our pre«ent sawmill supplies get exhausted, it only requires an extension of railway into new country to provide a fresh supply. The fact is that the land near railways is far too valuable to be allowed to lie demant with bush. It should be immediately utilised, first by the sawmiller, and afterwards converted into grazing farms. — I am, &c, T.B. Dunedin, 3rd Jan,, 1887.