AUSTRALIAN FORESTS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19142, 27 October 1927, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN FORESTS.

i NEED FOR DEVELOPMENT. j INDIAN EXPERT'S CRITICISM. i The Chief Conservator of Forests in India (Mr A. J. Gibson), who has been "lent 7 ' to the Council for Scientific and j Industrial Research for five months to i reporv on Australian forestry, said re- j ccntly that Australia should have a J forests 'products laboratory similar to those at -Madison, in the United States, j and at Dehra Dun in India. He was j not prepared to make this as a definite j recommendation to the council at pre- j sent, as he had yet to investigate the j forestry work done in South Australia j and Western Av.stralh. but lie had found I in the eastern States that much good work was lost through lack of co-ordi-nation. Many scientific results had been achieved by enthusiastic individual workers which were incapable of comparison with other results because of such errors as the neglect of moisture eoutcnt determinations in the testing of the strength of timbers. "On the pure forestry side," said Mr Gibson, "Australia presents some unique problems which will have to be solved in the near future if this country, so depondeut on agricultural in- j dustry, Is to take its place among the ] great exporting countries of the world, for agriculture and forestry are indissolubly connected. Australia is the largest consumer of timber a head of the population in the world. This is due to her methods of building homes, : and her, almost unique system of telephone communication, power transmission, and fencing. Timber is usod almost exclusively for these, where elsewhere steel and iron liavo replaced timber." • Too Much Use of Fire. It was perhaps inevitable, continued Mr Gibson, that the mere handful of i men who had created Australia's agri- | cultural industries, should use fire as an I agency for clearing land. No other means was available, but the process had gone too far, and in many parts of Australia arable land and first-class pasture land had been cleared to such an extent that not even shade trees for cattle were available, and no timber" was procurable for the maintenance and extension- of houses, sheds, and fences. This led ono to tho conclusion that an alteration was required in the forests policy of Australia. An inter-State conference of forestry authorities some years ago had decided that 24,000,000 acres of forest permanently dedicated to meet Australian wants in hardwoods and softwoods' were required. His observations had shown that great difficulty was experienced in having this land dedicated by the various States.. This was duo to rivalry between the Lands Departments and tho Forests Departments, in obtaining land, and such a condition should not be. The depart-, ments should work hand in hand to assure to Australia adequate forests, without which tho country would bo in a very parlous condition in the near future. Experts throughout the world predicted an early shortago of softwoods, and when that came, Australian imports of softwoods, which represented a very large value at present, would cease, or rise to a prohibitive price. As the world consumption of softwoods and hardwoods was at present in the proportion of nine to one, tho importance of Australia putting its house in order in regard to softwood supplies was self-evident. Indigenous supplies were running out, and he estimated that the principal source of supply, the hooppine of Queensland, was not likely to last, more than 10 years. Strangely enough, Australian pines were slow growers. Victorian Activities. "Steps have been taken, more especially in Victoria and South Australia, to plant suitable pines," said Mr Gibson, "and Victoria'has launched on a programme of pine planting at, Anglesea and elsewhere which in the next 30 years will give her a very valuable area of pine forest. In the forests of mountain ash Victoria has a hardwood second to none, and the conservation of all available supplies is of the utmost importance. Bush fires must be fought and fought again, and conquered. Close co-operation between the Forests Department and other authorities, such as the Water Supply Commission, is most essential. Other bodies should realise that forests should be controlled by the forestry officers, and that it is not a sound policy to fence in a forest and leave it to Nature. Such a policy tends towards deterioration, and increases tenfold the danger from forest fires. These areas in India are cared for by the Forests Department, which not only keeps the catchment areas in order, but realises a very considerable legitimate rev.enue'for the owners."

Finally, Mr Gibson continued, it was to be realised that lumber was a bulky, commodity, which could not stand long transport leads without minimising its economic value. To be effective, forest reserves must be selected close to the place of consumption. A couple of thousand acres near a market was worth 10 times that area in the "back of beyond." Given adequate facilities, the Forests Departments of Australia could establish forests which would for ever remove from this growing country the threat of a timber famine which was hanging over the heads of so many nations to-day. "That is the definite message I bring to Australia from India, where we have 160,000,000 acres, or onefifth of the area of the country, under the control of the Forests Department," said Mr Gibson.

The short life of totara timber today was brought to the notice of the Taranaki Education Board (state an exchange) by the architect, Mr C. H. Moore. The totara piles under the Oaotiui school and residence has had to be replaced, he said, and those under several other buildings had been found to be in the same condition, having been eaten away at the ground line by grubs. The average life of North Island totara in the district at present was not more than 12 to 15 years. He had known totara to last over 40 years in the South Island.

"When I entrusted you to shift my expensive piano, I knew you would handle it with the greatest care! I am glad to say my confidence in you, as on previous occasions, was not misplaced. The piauo was delivered absolutely undamaged."- Just as in this case, we can handle the removal of your valued possessions with the same care and dispatch. Ask us for an estimate. The New Zealand Express Co., Ltd.

(By "Builder.") ''Builder" invites contributions from readers on auy matters of interest which they might like to propose. Correspondence on various subjects pertaining to building will also be accepted. NOTES. The Ileathcote County Council is calling tenders, closing at 4 p.m. today, for the supply of house service meters. The price of the contract let to B. Moore and Sons, Ltd., for the laying of sewers in Papanui. was £16,5G7 9s 3d. Mr J. S. Guthrie, 178 Manchesterstreet, invites tenders, closing at 4 p.m. to-day; for the removal oi a cottage from Durham street North to Aidrcd street and for reinstating it. Tenders close at the Town Clerk's office on Monday for the erection of a pavilion in Spreydou Domain. The new Konian Catholic Secondary School in Perry road will be finished this week. The contractors are giving the interior of the building the final touches. The foundations for the Dunlop Rubber Company's new building in Lichfield street are completed. The contractors are making-satisfac-tory progress with the Victoria street sub-station for the M.E.D., and at the present time the brickwork t of tho walls has been built to a height of approximately 'sft, Tenders will be received by the County Engineer, Culverdcn, up till noon on Friday, November 4th next, for the supply of 75 pile shoos, 401b each, •Jin to Jin bolts, Gin to 22in long, 90001b, delivered at Waiau Railway Station. The following, subdivisions of land were approved by the City Council on Tuesday evening:—Mrs M. J. Moifatt, part E.S. 203, Chapel and Union streets, Papanui; 11. Brims, D.P. 8251, part U.S. G4, Eadley street, Woolston. Messrs Ellis and Hall, architects, have recently -let contracts for twostorey house and alterations to shops in Lower Riecarton (C. S. Lunoy, contractor); alterations and additions to house in Leinster road, St. Albans (R. C. Graveston, contractor); and a shop in Lower Riecarton (L. G. Martin, contractor).

HOUSING LOAN.

INCREASED BUILDING ACTIVITY. November should see increased activity in the building industry, as several big jobs will be under way within a week or two, and most of the dwellings which are to be erected under the City Council's loan will be commenced next month. Already some of the plans have been passed. No particular locality is favoured by the 33 people whose applications have been successful, and the dwellings will be scattered all over the City. This month:' the average of permits for houses issued is being maintained at about two per day.

ST. ALBANS.

DERIVATION OF NAME. To ascertain the origin of the names of Christcliurch suburbs it would probably not be necessary to go back 2000 years except in the case of St. Albans, the derivation of which dlates back to the Roman conquest of Britain. St. Albans is the name of the town which grew up on the hill beside the old British and Roman city of Verulamium; and it was so called in memory of the Roman soldier Alban, who lived here and who suffered martyrdom for the faith, being afterwards canonised as a saint. The Anglo-Saxon King Ofia of Mercia erected an abbey in his honour in the year 793, on the site of an earlier church; and having dug up some bones which he thought to be Alban's he placed them in a shrine in this abbey, where they attracted great numbers of pilgrims. ; The fourteenth abbot, Paul do Caen, who livedl in the time of "William the Conqueror, erected the existing abbey, using materials largely taken from the ruins of Roman Verulamium; it was dedicated in 1115, and the sixteenth abbot, Geoffrey de Gorliam, placed these supposed bones of St. Alban in a new shrine therein. Great additions were made to the building in later times and now the tower is the most conspicuous .part of the original Norman structure still left, so far as the outside' is concerned. The abbey 6tands amid trim lawns and pleasant trees on the high ground overlooking the fielcfe under which the remains of Verulamium lie buried; and you can see at once that the tower has been built of Roman tiles, these fields at the time of its erection being probably covered with the ruins of the'eity wherein Alban had lived. . . i

ST. GEORGE'S HOSPITAL.

QUARTERS FOR STAFF. Mr F. Williamson, who completed the contract for St. George's Hospital some weeks ago, has his workmen now engaged in the erection of the Community Hall at the back for housing the nursing staff. This will include a chapel. In the hospital building itself the sub-eontractors for the heating, electric lighting, and lift are completing their work.