POLITICAL NOTES

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18479, 5 September 1925, Page 12

POLITICAL NOTES

(srsciA t» to "ti"* r&xss.") WELLINGTON, September 4. Eiver Erosion. In the House of Representatives today Air J. Horn (Wakatipu) spoke of the problem of river erosion, and instanced one particular spot in his electorate where constant provision • was being made to prevent the land being washed away. Requests for assistance and compensation from the Crown had failed. Were the settlers to stand by and watch their land carried awav with every swell! he asked. The Minister said the river erosion problem was a serious one, and the Government was, as far as possible, trying tp load the leaseholders with the responsibility. The land referred to by Mr Horn vvas under the jurisdiction of tho Education Department, and it would have to deal with the application He would go into the matter later. Forestry Pays. "The business of building up a national forest capital, and the policy of the New Zealand Forests for tho New Zealanders," says the Forestry Department's report, "is no more a burden on the Treasury, for within tho business itself finances are now securable for these vital purposes, and enough to spare, not only to assist in the building up of backblock roads and communications in forested counties, and in swelling the national endowment fund, but also to provide ultimately surpluses and profits for the reduction of the national debt, and the lessening of general taxation, an allocation of from 10 to 20 per cent, of all net forest revenues secured from the sale of ripe timber from the State forests of the Dominion is now made to all counties within whose boundaries are situated these national forests. Theso subventions from the central Government will bo many thousands of pounds per year.

Wild Life in Forests. The conservation and control of wild life within State forests, has received serious attention during the period, for a xry close and intimate relationship exists between the indigenous avifauna, and the regeneration of the taxad or native "pine" forests. Investigation indicates that "no native bird life means no taxad forests and no forests means no native bird life." For that reason the State Forest Service has co-operated closely with the controlling Government authority, the Department of Internal Affairs, and the Native Bird Protection Society, and others, with a view to building up a better bird sentiment and, where possible and desirable, prosecutions for illegal shooting have been carried through. It is gratifying to report that the native bird population of the Dominion is rapidly growing.

Local Bodies and Borrowing. '' We are inclined .to accept whatever local bodies ask for without proper knowledge," said the Prime Minister (the Hon. J. G. Coates) when seeking information on a Bill which aims at giv« ing added borrowing powers to the Dunedin District Drainage and Sewerage Board. He added that the authority for borrowing which is being asked by local bodies is reaching large amounts. A member: What about the Governm The Prime Minister: The Government has a definite policy. This is quite right, but when we think that to-day local body borrowing is between 45 and 50 millions of money, although most of it is on the repayment system, one realises what enormous credits they are reaching.

Millions in Trees. Mr P. A. des la Perrelle wishes to see so many treed planted in New Zealand that within fifty years the Government will be able to pay off the national debt of the Dominion. The Minister of Forestry (the Hon. Sir Heaton Rhodes) said he could hardlv go so far, but he hoped that m the tkne mentioned sufficient revenue wouMbe secured from tions to warrant a substantial reduction in taxation. .