Land Deterioration and Soil Erosion

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22510, 19 September 1938, Page 8

Land Deterioration and Soil Erosion

The Minister in charge of the. Scientific and . Industrial Research ‘ Department made a very encouraging announcement .when he said that an expert committee had been appointed to investigate the related problems of land deterioration and soil erosion; To specify only one aspect of the danger, there is a mass of evidence that the country’s fertility and productipn are gravely-threatened; and the evidence is increasing and increasingly disturbing. Mr Sullivan rightly said that deterioration in hill country, had been “proceeding “steadily” for. many years and that the process has become more . obvious in " its . later stages, when, of course, the ..damage is already greater and the problem of arrest and restoration so much the more difficult. The Minister’s conclusion, that it is a prime necessity*,to restore the vegetative. covering of stripped areas and that “se’rious and concerted. effort ” is demanded, ■ is an inescapable one; and the constitution of the committee of investigation is such''as to. leave no doubt that the effort will at. least b$ aoundjy based and designed. The absence from it of any representative farmers, whose experience and special observations of the'endangcred .areas should be valuable, will of course be fully made good by seeking their evidence, which As meet required as it may dis-

tinguish local conditions. But it cannot be left unsaid that, while the Minister’s announcement is in every way to be approved, it stands in curious contrast with the recent statement by his colleague, the Minister for Lands. Mr Langstone not merely said that the Government had no intention of investigating highcountry deterioration in the South Island; he referred to the investigations of the 1920 Southern Pastoral Lands Commission and argued from them that, if deterioration has greatly advanced since then, the fault must be with the occupiers, who could and should—so he_ implied—be left to solve the problem for themselves. But, he added, “it is not admitted “ that the deterioration has been ‘ profound and “‘marked’ of recent years.” The extent to which departmental replies are to be trusted, when departments imagine that they are being attacked and must justify themselves, 11 is very clearly suggested in this episode..