SOFTGOODS SHORTAGE.

Wairarapa Age, 6 January 1926, Page 3

SOFTGOODS SHORTAGE.

{ A FAMINE IMMINENT. ■ ENGLISH EXPERT’S WARNIN&, ■ The world, thoughtless of many $ things, is more careless of its wood : supplies than of anything else, accord- ' ing to Sir Herbert Matthews, secre- ‘ taiy of the Central Council of Agri- ’ culture, London, who is visiting New J JZealan.d, to study the work of New • Zealand Perpetual Forests, Ltd. He i believes that a world famine in > wjfods iff imminent. ] 1 I The problem of our timber sup- ; plies is second in ’its importance only ; to the question of our food supplies,,” J said Sir Herbert. FZ In fact, the two jure interdependent, especially in an agricultural country like yours, where you must have wood for the cases in which you pack your produce. Although Australia and New Zealand use large quantities of soft-woods, little is being done to replenish the forests. This, unhappily, is the position all over the world, but New Zealanders are fortunately taking reafforestation seriously. If their efforts are successful New Zealand will set a good example to many countries. Her methods, however, could not be adopted in Great Britain, because a feature of her work is the early maturing of the softwoods, which could not be achieved in England. The consumption of softwoods is rapidly increasing-—the manufacture of -paper pulp and of artificial silk absorb enormous quantities —-n,nd\ little is being done to make up the expenditure. The softwood forests of England were denuded during the war, but with Government supervision help they are being replanted rapidly. India seems to be doing the best work in reafforestation and Germany is tackling the problem well. Much could be said also of Canada.’’