C.—lβ.

Reasons for Forest-conservation. Although New Zealand by reason of its physical configuration and extensive ranges of mountains is fairly secure from any universal or long-continued drought, such as is periodically experienced in many parts of Australia and other countries, yet the question of forest-conservation and afforestation is nevertheless as important here as anywhere else in the world. The reasons for this may be briefly summed up as follows : — (a.) Industrial. —The necessity for producing enough millable timber to meet the continuous and growing requirements of the building and allied trades, which would otherwise be driven to foreign markets and compelled to purchase timber at whatever rates may be imposed abroad. (b.) Climatic. —The great need of exercising care that a too-rapid destruction of the present forest-areas, which are vastly smaller than those which clothed the islands when first colonised by Europeans, does not injuriously affect the annual rainfall in volume and extent, and reduce the present water-holding power of the land. (c.) Prevention <>f Soil-denudation. —The retention of the forest-covering on steep slopes and other land liable to erosion, bo as to prevent slips thereon and soil in the vicinity, that with care and adequate protection would yield satisfactory returns of produce, being carried away by fierce downpours of rain into the adjacent streams, assisting to choke them up and thereby causing floods and damage to the lower-lying lands of the district. Efforts of the Government. From an early stage the Governments of the day have in some measure endeavoured to preserve the native forests wherever it was deemed advisable to do so, and under the various Land Acts in force large areas of forest land have been permanently reserved for the growth and preservation of forests. In addition, several Forest-tree Planting and Encouragement Acts were passed by the Legislature with a view to aiding private landowners to plant waste land. These

8

Name of Tree. 1 t j Uses for which the different kinds of Tref s are suitable. Number planted. r Pinus Laricio „ muricata ,, ponderosa . . ,, Benthamiana ,, pinaster ,, radiata „ rigida ,, sabiniana .. „ silvestris „ strobus ,, thumbergii . . „ Torreyana .. „ tseda Platanus orient a I is Podocarpus dacrydioides „ totara 677,900 Used generally for all constructive purposes both inside and outside buildings, packing-cases, butter-boxes, shelving, pattern-making, posts, sleepers, &c. 109,070 Ditto. 435,000 117,050 ' 11,425 110,161 9,325 25 200 108,625 700 1,820 1,100 3,900 Furniture, box-making, turnery, pulleys, and patternmaking. 550 Butter-boxes and packing-cases. 181-jlOO Telegraph-poles, sleepers, joinery, plates, and all purposes where durability is required. 200 Ditto. 14,500 Packing-cases, sides and bottoms of drays, furnitureframes and interior work. 419,972 Beams, general lumber, scaffolding, and all constructive works. 32,033 Cabinetmaking, furniture, turnery, carving, &c. 2,031,671 House and ship building, wagons, carriages, casks, &c. 1,124 Produces the cork of commerce. 161,800 Posts, axe and pick handles, and general farm purposes. 13,663 Cricket-bats, barrow and dray bottoms, knifeboards, bread-platters. 41,841 Venetian blinds, general carpentry and joinery work. 7,875 Posts, rake-teeth, dowells, and bent work, and general joinery and interior finishing. 13,975 General joinery-work and interior finishing. 775 Coffins, coachbuilding, furniture, packing-cases, &c. 1,310 68,655 37,676 Hallii Poplars (var.) Pseudo-tsuga taxifolia Pyrus aucuparia .. Quercus pedunculata „ suber Robinia pseudo-acacia Salix (var.) Sequoia sempervirens Sophora tetraptera Thuja gigantea Ulinus campestris.. Corylus avellana .. Ornamental shrubs Leguminous plants Total .. 18,300,779