OUR DISAPPEARING TIMBER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 29, 29 October 1907, Page 2

OUR DISAPPEARING TIMBER.

~...-, .BUILDERS ANXIOUS.;.- •: ■•■■■. ; For some'tinio past butter '-.makers* have boon anxious at.the gradual disappearance of oijr white pine timber, from, winch butterboxes arc.'made. Tho. newest''allies' to the; butter, makers are tho'.builders,' who yi'ow with alarm the growing scarcity arid.increasing, price.',of house, timbers. ~Their case was stated, at. Napier , at.,: tho; New.' Zealand Builders'"Conference by Mr. S. Clarke (of. Auckland)', who pointed out that at tho presont rate of consumption, .Now Zealand's timber-resorves would be at'an I 'end'in- fifty 'years. , ; - ' ' ;' ■' ' ''■ ", ■";'.' - : -" "" ■ Present Supplies. .';'.',!,''„;'" . ' The existing supplies of jtho<suitable building timbers were:—Kauri 647,000;000ft., red pine' or rimu 17,900.000,000 ft., tptara 1,025,000,000 ft.- -black , '-pine or matai 3,823,000,000 ft., miscellaneous,' 'say, 60,500,000 ft.; total 24,0pp',pp0,000ft. If the areas of inferior timbers',wore left out .of the reckoning it would reduce the amount available and bring the limit or supply from; 50 or at most 00 years, ,jto at.most 40 years. Tho output of--kauri—for .1906-7 was 108,000,000 ft., and at tho current rate of use six years would exhaust .tho-;present .supply. Auckland 'started 'that they had made arrangements 'for ..' the time when local'supplies were worked out.

Foreign Timbers. The speaker did. .npt. look to Canada or America for futurii':'Jsu'p'plies because that country and. tlie j.lfniteU States .themselves hud made enormous 'inroads on thtiir own forests and would "want every post of timber for themselves, Mr. Clarke made put a strong case.for, the conservation of forests for climatic, scenic, and agricultural reasons. New Plantations. ; During -the.discussion of Mr. Clarke's, remarks, it was that, while the Government had 'done-, a great work in planting forest trees; insufficient care was taken of .the plantations, and many trees failed to reach full devolopmonti •"'•','■•■ It was finally resolved "That tho Governmentrbe urged to take immediate steps to conserve as far as possible tho. building timbers, of the Dominion for tho use of the people, of,;tho' Dominion, and to oxtend the present'system, of forestry; so as to .ensure a continuous ■ supply of timbers for future uso, , and'for! climatic and scenic benefits."