SELWYN PLANTATION BOARD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16739, 22 May 1922, Page 8

SELWYN PLANTATION BOARD.

The Selwyn Plantation Board met this morning, present—Messrs G. H. Bullard. Commissioner of Crown Lands (chairman), S A. Staples, Godfrey Hall, W. T. Popple, Geo. Scott, J. Storry, G. Witty, M.P., C. Woolf, P. R. Nairn and C. W. Hervey, secretary.

The superintendent reported that. Mr Wain, the occupier of a reserve at Burnham. was agreeable to carrying out the work of fencing the reserve if the board furnished the material, costing £22. The Public Works Department had removed part of the plantation at Hororata, at a cost of £93, for poles for electric current. Fair headway had been made by the ten woodcutters at Bankslde. Dunsandel and Darfleld, where some 150 cords of pine and fifteen cords of gum were stacked. Orders for tho disposal of timber were being steadily received. The altered labour conditions made it possible to place tho pine firewood on the market at a slightly reduced price. The report was adopted.

Messrs G. Moore and It. Palmer applied for permission to trap rabbits on the boards reserves at Dunsandel. Tho application was declined, the superintendent stating that poisoning was preferable to trapping.

Mr G. Hight, Dunsandel, wrote making a further offer for the lease of Reserve 29060. The offer was accepted. The Controller of Ravings Banks and Accounts wrote stating that under the regulations there was no provision for tho lodging of deposits under the board’s name. It was decided to write to the Minister of Lands asking that the. regulations he amended so as to allow the board to make deposits in its own name, instead of under the names of trustees as at present.

The District Engineer of the Post and Telegraph Department wrote asking for permission to erect a telephone line through a plantation at Hororata. The superintendent’s report being favourable, permission was granted.

The Under-Secretary of Lands wrote in reference to the sale of reserves at Cash mere asking the board to frame a clause giving it power to sell reserves and allot tho proceeds to the purchase of other reserves. A resolution was carried instructing the hoard's solicitors to draft the required clause and forward it to the Ministry of Lands.

The secretary presented a return showing the increase in rental under the new scale on leases already re-let. The returns under the old rentals were £105 3 8s 4d. and under the new rentals £lll7 14a id. Mr Popple said that he had noticed in the annual report, that of tho 1.000,000 seedlings possessed by the board all but

90, WO were pinus insign us. He suggested that the proportion of pinus insigntis was altogether too large, and that more useful timber should he planted. He mentioned a reserve of 600 acres at Bemnore on which were, many varieties of useful timber. He said that the country in the foothills was more suitable for superior classes of timber than were the plains. The pine which was being grown so largely ar present was not suitable for building, and in fifty years, if t.he present policy were continued, Canterbury would be short of timber for many purposes.

Touching on the gorse question. Mr Popple said that two-thirde of the board’s time in tho past had been spent on discussing tlio gorse question. He suggested that the hoard should give more time to trees and leave tho gore© to local bodies. Referring to the board s finances, he said that the board was developing into a money-lending concern on a fairly large scale, and should spend more money on plantations. Trees would always be in Canterbury, but a surplus of money might be in danger of being transferred to the Forestry Department.

Several members said that the pinus insignus had been grown originally to provide shelter belts, and had been chosen on account of its quick-growing qualities, and that the quality of the land on the plains was not good enough for the growing of the better classes of Umber..

The superintendent (Mr R. G. Robinson) said that he thought the board was on " a good wicket." The report showed that 40,000 Oregon pines and 30,000 of other good varieties were being planted next, year. Pinus insignus was a very payable line, on account of its short rotation. Moreover, locally-grown Oregon was of poor quality compared to the imported tfmber. The drawback to the planting of superior timbers in th© hills was that the plantations would be gome distance from the railway. He suggested that the board’s policy be to get in young plantations of quick rotation as quickly as possible. Mr Godfrey Hall advocated the planting of more trees for fencing timber, such as maorooarpa and gums. Referring to plantations In the foothills, he said that the reserves were of irregular shape, and would need fencing with wire netting. A motion was passed authorising the superintendent to go on with works for the coming year, costing £I6OO. Accounts amounting to £.196 19s were passed for payment.