DOMINION AFFORESTATION

Taranaki Daily News, 17 January 1930, Page 15

DOMINION AFFORESTATION

RAPID GROWTH OF TREES.

PROSPECTS OF WOOL PULP.

Auckland, Jan. 13.

According to Sir Herbert Matthews, well-known British agriculturist, and Mr Alan Morley, of Sydney, the people of the Dominion do not realise the magnitude and significance of the great work in afforestation which is now in progress at Putaruru. . Addressing Auckland Rotarians to-day, Sir Herbert explained that four years ago a group of men who had taken up a'"’large area of so-called pumice country for the purpose of tree-planting, had got in communication with him. He had ■been invited to take up the position of trustee for the bond-holders. The statements made as to possibilities seemed so extraordinary that he declined to put his name forward in such connection unless he had first seen for himself what the outlook was. He had come out to New Zealand and had satisfied himself that what he had been told was true. He had therefore accepted the position. He had now come again to note progress and had found that expectations had been fully realised. The growth seemed almost incredible. One of the trustee s duties was to arrange for the marketing of the product. The advance towards maturity had been so fast that already this matter was receiving attention. He could congratulate New Zealand on having set h standard to the world. Though many Governments had done something, this was, so far as he knew, the only purely commercial undertaking of its kind in the world. As far as one could judge to-day, said Sir Herbert, it seemed likely that the raw product would ultimately be marketed as wood pulp. Provided reasonably cheap transport was arranged, Great Britain could take all that was available.

Mr. Morley expressed the view that New Zealanders did not realise the magnitude of the work going on in their midst. Three and a half million pounds sterling had been invested by bondholders, and it iras all being spent in the Dominion. Last year £3500 a week had been paid in wages at planting time. When the process oi marketing came in the amount represented would be. infinitely greater. Four million would be needed for pulping machinery. The growth in three years had been almost unbelievable. If the whole of the 120,000 acres were ready for marketing the product would last the United States just three weeks. Mr. Morley said that New Zealand could grow trees three times as fast as was possible in colder countries, and the possibilities were enormous.