The Dominion. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1011. STATE AFFORESTATION IN NEW ZEALAND.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1263, 19 October 1911, Page 4

The Dominion. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1011. STATE AFFORESTATION IN NEW ZEALAND.

In his speech on the Financial Statement on September li Mr. G. M. Thomson, member, for Duncdin North, called attention to the necessity of export scientific advice in the management of our existing forests, and especially in tho reafforestation of the country. Ho showed that serious errors were being made in our planting operations, and urged' on the Government the advisability of organising the Department on a proper footing. When tho Estimates for this Department were under consideration tho ignorant policy adopted by the Government was voiced by Mit. Buddo, the Minister, who temporarily was in chargc of this branch, when he pooh-poohccl the idea of making any _ change, and stated in his characteristic, but eminently unsatisfactory, manner that "an ounce of fact v.-as worth a ton pf theory." Ministers are grossly ignorant on this, as on many other, subjects under their control, and unfortunately they arc suprcmoly ignorant of their own ignorance. The subject of afforestation is so important to tho future of this Dominion that the oflieial report on the matter is worthy of much fuller consideration than it has rcceivcd. Parliament would be very much better occupicd discussing the various reports which arc presented to it than in wasting time over personal quarrels and recriminations. Tho report is a long one of nearly 74 pages, and is illustrated by several plate;, half of which might with advantage have been loft out. There is also a good deal of padding containing elementary information, which might do for a primer on forestry, but is out of placc here. On pp. 2 and 3 the uses of our common marketable timbers aro again cited, as if tho merest amateur wero not fully aware of them. Tho_ statement is made hero that the various beeches grow plentifully all over tho Dominion, "and are being used for railway sleepers very extensively in the Wellington district." They certainly do not grow plentifully "all ovor the Dominion"; they aro strictly limited in.their distribution, and only one—Farjus fusca — is used for railway sleepers. After a very laudatory statement of the admirable way in which forestry operations have been conducted ill New Zealand, it is stated as an excuse for not undertaking them on a larger scale that "tho supply of eucalyptus from Australia and pine from biberia, Manchuria, and possibly Korea, together with the Douglas fir from Western Canada, will for generations to conic satisfy to a very large extent the continuous demand for sawn timber in New Zealand." In face of the increasing. demand in all parts of the world, this is surely nonsense, and is altogether at variance with the opinions of the most reliable foreign authorities. there is a vast amount of timber in Siberia and Manchuria, it is largely of inferior quality, and the bulk of it will probably go to European countries. the United States, and South Africa, whilst the Canadian forests in the latest reports arc estimated to last not more than 35 years! •

After deciding on the advisability of embarking on forestry operations, tho Government of tho day considered it was better to have as director a person who had some knowledge of local conditions, but no knowledge of tho scienw of forestry, . Anyone.

ject knows that the local conditions could be learned more easily, less expensively, and in a quarter of the time that it tnki-s to learn the modern science of forestry. At present the supreme administrative control is in 'die hands of the Under-Secrc-t'Ti'v for Lands, which is an anomaly. Il'.e financial control should- bo entrusted to the Under-Secretary for Agriculture, but the .technical control should be in the hands of an officer trained in one of the best Luropeaji schools of forestry. It is suggested that "it may bo advisable later on to form a special advisory board." If a properly trained and competent 'man were placed in charge, such a board would be redundant, and would certainly cause j trouble and friction. From a comparison of the figures on pp. 22 and 32, it would seem that the artificial forests of the South Island have cost —up to ten years—£l 10s. 9d. per acrc more than those of the North Island. This seems a large discrepancy, which- the difference in soils could scarcely quite account for. The cost up to the tenth year in tho South Island is given as £9 ss. 9d. per acre, and it is concluded that tho timber is then worth from £15 to £20 per acre. This is absurd on the face of it, for anyone knows that in this country timber so small would have no value at all, and if it were cut down one could not get rid of it, if it were offered for nothing. It is directly negatived, too, by what the superintendent of the North Island nursery suys at p. 35—"the thinning-out of all tho dead or suppressed trees .... could only

bo carried, on at great expenseabout £4 per acre. If it were possible to dispose of the thinnings, this would put the question in quite a different light, but the only probable use for the thinnings is fuel, and in this district, where the native timbers for this purpose arc abundant, the disposal of thin larch sticks would be difficult." The above brief criticism surely shows the necessity of having a competent authority at the head of this Department, which ought in the future to be a growing one. It is absurd to expect the Under-Secretary for Lands to bo able to give the attention, even had ho the technical knowledge, which this work demands. His heavy and multifarious duties already engross his time, and with all the enthusiasm in the world ho cannot do justice to it. The State will never got the value out of this Department which it ought until it is placed under a scientific head. Were it properly administered, the Department would be able to advise men all over the country who- are desirous of obtaining expert advice as to planting on their properties, and it would thus distribute a great amount of useful knowledge.