Afforestation

Southland Times, Issue 10996, 27 July 1907, Page 1 (Supplement)

Afforestation

•• The ship Condo is loading one and a-half million feet of lumber for New Zealand.”—Vancouver Eumberman, June. 1907. " A meeting is to be held in Dunedin to settle a proposal to raise the price oi red pine. This timber has risen already in Southland by Is per 100 feet.” —Times. lOith duly, 190 1.

" The timber supplies in Xew Zealand are ra[*idly diminishing both in quantity and quality and will not last 70 years.” This statement has been referred u> in the press as startling information. This is undoubtedly true, but the fact remains that the late Hon, K. -T Seddon in liis financial statement submitted to I’arllament in duly, 190 i. stated ; If the milling timber now growing upon native and freehold lands be' fullv utilised our requirements will bo satisfied for To years. All over the civilised world a note ot alarm is being sounded about tindepletion of forests. The idea ithat the forests were boundless and inexhaustible bps. in the light of cold facts, become clearly a fallacy. The early, and even the settlers of more recent date, have regarded the tree as a thing to be removed. The settler and the lumberman in Canada and I'.S.A. in particular now see the gravity of the situation. Hence the regular conferences of foresters to consider wavs and means of conserving the forests and keeping up the timber supply. The position with regard to our own colony is becoming more acuto each year and the area of forest lands grows less. Tin Government has for years been w oi Cing on a small scale to supplement the timber resources of the colony, principally on the pumice lands be-

I tween Holoi'ua ami Taupo, ami also in Otago, Canterbury. ami Marlborough. Unfortunately, this does not apply to Southland, which has for many years Past been the second largest district lor sawmilling in ilhe colony. At the present time over Sot) men are employed in the industry. Owing to the rapidity with which the areas are being cut onto lie number is becoming less each year, and within our own time this great industry will be a memory oi the past. Not the slightest attempt lias been made by the Government at tree-raising in t{u- province, ami not a singh' acre of the thousands that have been depleted during the past 10 years has been re-planted. The matter of future supplies is a. grave • pnstion which demands immediate attention. In a subsequent issue we I impose to go thoroughly into the colony's umber resources, when special reference will be made to the position of Southland.