INDUSTRIAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 476, 7 April 1909, Page 10

INDUSTRIAL.

MEETINC OF ASSOCIATION. AN ADVOCATE OF AFFORESTATION. J[r. E. Bull (vice-president) occupied .tho chair at a meeting of tho Wellington Provincial Industrial Association held last evening- , Somo correspondence was first dealt with. INDUSTRIES WEEK. The Minister for Railways wrote regarding tho issue of excursion fares during Industries Week in Wellington. Ho stated that tho bookings in connection with last year's experiment wero very disappointing, and under those circumstances he could not see iiis way to authorise tho issuo of excursion fares this year. Mr. Seaton pointed out that last year tho Railway Department had not mado any effort to make business. With the added attractions of throwing open tho electric light works, power-house, and newspaper offices, many would bo induced to visit Wellington. If it were advertised properly, ho was suro that it could bq made to pay. Ho moved that a deputation, consisting of the president (Mr. A. W. Newton), Messrs. Bull, Ballingor, Williams, and H. Seaton, wait on tho Minister (Hon. J. A. Millar) in regard to the matter.—Carried. THE STATUTORY HALF-HOLIDAY. Tho Hon. A. W. Hogg wrote regarding tho receipt of a resolution passed by tho association stating that it was satisfied with tho existing arrangements, whereby local bodies decide tho day on which the, statutory half-holiday shall be held, and, further, that if a poll bo taken to decido such question, such poll should only be tho vote of tho shopkeepers themselves. In reply, the Minister stated that the resolution would receive- due consideration, with tho representations of tho deputation which had waited on him recently. INDUS TRIAL REPORTS. Tho reports of a visit paid by tho Visiting Committee (Messrs. W. Grabtreo and J. Smith) to the Wellington Tinware Company's factory and the Kia Ora Galvanising Company wero read by tho secretary (Mr. H. F. Allen). Both reports roted that business was slack, but thoro wore unmistakcablc signs of an improvement AFFORESTATION. Mr. Ballinger moved a vote of thanks to the sub-committee. In seconding tho motion, Mr. Samuel Brown, after giving credit to those who prepared such interesting reports, said that thoro seemed a good deal of routine work had to be done, and was done, but the association was moving along in a groove, and ho thought that tho timo had arrived when the association should consider tho questions of more general interest to tho whole of tho community. There was, for instance, tho matter o'f afforestation which could be well and wisely considered. It had been said that within 50 years Now Zealand would be treeless. Kauri was being felled at tho rate of 40,000,000 feet a year, and it was well known in tho north that the supply would ho exhausted-in 15 or 16 years. Outside- tho general question was the matter of what kind of timber should be grown. Ho remembered that, when up in the north with Judge Cooper, the judge and himself counted tho rings on one kauri, and had estimated that it must have been 150 or IGO years old. Mr. Brown referred to coun.tries 'which had inado afforestation experiments a success, and to tho fact that 'the British'Government'had appointed a commission to report on tho matter, nnd, as a result, big areas in" Ireland wero 'being planted.. Long ago Sir Julius Vogel, ono of the ablest statesman New Zealand had ever known, had introduced a forester from India, Captain Campbell Wallier, but foi some reason or other ho had been sent away whilst beginning a very good work that would have borno fruit by this time had he been allowed to continue. A matter that the association might take up was tho planting of tho Toiiii vlielti' •

V THOSE BARREN HILLS." He had often been humiliated,-on coming into tho harbour, by remarks such as, "Look as those wretchedly barren hills!" They could very easily bo , planted and made beautiful, as had been done, for instance, in the Waikato, where hundreds of 'wattle trees had been put down, and there lie was told that they were getting 10s. per ton more for the hark than was obtained for Australian bark. Nothing in the way of planting had been done for a number of years, and it was rather obligatory on the association to do something in the matter. • It should deal with more .than merely parochial questions—should take up questions of interest to the wholo of the Dominion. .-•••'.'• The Chairman said that there was a lot in what Mr. Brown had said. The question of planting the hills had been brought up some time ago by Sir. Brown, or. someone, else, and the press had given it good support, but the authorities did not seem to be in favour of it. A MATTER OF MONEY. Mr. Ballingcr said that it was a matter of money. The council had spent a good deal of money in clearing off tho gorse. According to Mr. Brown, it, was not a very expensive work. They merely had to plough the land and follow on with tho seed, and then thin out as tho plants grew. Practically all the planting in Wellington had been done 25 years ago. . . Mr. Smith pointed out that the greater area of hills was unploughablo. Mr. Brown called attention to what had been done in Otago. Mr. Smith said that the hills there had more soil on them than thoso' round Wellington. ,Mr. Brown severely criticised what the council was doing in Cambridge- Terrace, incidentally stating that no sooner did a shrub show healthy sign of growth than it was cut down, and clipped about with scissors. Nowhere had he seen such vandalism in regard to shrubs as in Wellington. Mr. Ballingor pointed out that a good deal of .planting had been dono in Wellington lately, and stated that there was a Tree-plant-ing Society, in Wellington that was subsidised by the council, and it had dono a great deal of work as far as its funds permitted. The committee that was appointed to interview tho Minister for Railways was authorised to arrange for the advertising of industries week at a cost not exceeding £20.