FOREST RESERVES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1828, 14 August 1913, Page 6

FOREST RESERVES.

SETTLERS' CLAIMS. A BUS WAIRARAPA AREA. A discussion upon forest and other reserves arose I when the Prime Minister moved to lay on the table a proposal to withdraw an area of 12,891 acres of bush land in the Wairarapa district from reservation under tho State Forests Act. The paper stated that it was proposed to subdivide the land for settlement. The timber was chiefly red birch, and being on high levels, was not suitable for milling. Some 8000 acres were alrcad'y partly grassed and carrying stock.

Mr. H. G. ELL (Christchurch South) said that he knew well enough the pressure that was brought upon the Prime Minister by settlers who were anxious, to get on tho land, but it was not right that ' the.se reservations should be lifted without the closest inquiry.

Mr. G. WITTY (Riccarton) said the country was doing too much in the way of lifting reserves. It was not right to destroy any bush likely to become good timber, or to beoomo useful for scenic purposes. People ought to be more patriotic and. stick to the forests rather than seo them destroyed. Conservation Urged." Mr. G. M. THOMSON (Dunedin North) :hoped that on the general principle as little! as possible would be (lone in the way of destroying and giving up our forest areas until tlie whole question had been Very fully gone into. They had tho report; of the Forests Commission which they would , have to discuss shortly. and lie hoped tho .matter would receive very full consideration from'the House. ," He held to the general' principle that saw- ■ -millers and others were the last persons to bo taken into consideration when it carno to a question of reserving forests. (Hear, hear.) These people and also'many people on the edge of forest areas looked upon tho, forests simply from the , monetary point.of view. He trusted the 1 Prime Minister would hold back on the question of lifting reservations. In many cases it was desirablo • that forests damaged should-be cleared as quickly as possible, but where there was growing forest lie hoped conservation would be effected.

. Mr. J.' A. HA.WAN (Invercargill) emphatically supported the remarks of previous speakers. In -whittling down reserves set aparf; for national reserves, tho Government was not doing right. Ho understood' that to gratify its lust for settlement at any prico the Government had taken away a portion of a reserve at Mastertou.. 'He wished to enter his emphatic protest against that, and would like a l , word of policy from the Government on the point. The Fire Danger.

; Mr. J. G. COATES (Ivaipara) also expressed tho desire that the Government would outline its policy on tho question of reserves. Ho was a farmer, and took a keen interest in afforestation. Tho idea of afforestation was splendid, but how did it work out practically? He re.collected a reserve ait Puhipuhi, which wa-s a splendid asset, buit one match destroyed the lot. He Would defy any man to preserve forests on high lands from fire in tho North Island. Ho knew of many reserves from 1000 to 2000 aares which had baen destroyed by fire in tho last summer. It was chiefly tho fern and undergrowth which helped tlie fire. He believed that by a reasonable system of small Settlement they could carry out •plantation' work very successfully. Referring to the Wa.ipa.wa. foresit, ho declared it impossible and ridiculous to preserve it with only one man. There wore many miles of country there which could not always bo watched. They . could see where fires had started and run for- chains into the bush. It was the biggest iluke in tho world that it had not already gone. Only the direction of the wind had saved the forest on previous occasions. Next summer it might Bill go. He believed it was far better to come down to practical common sense, and phoserve forests that coadd be saved, and use thoso that could not be saved. Ho hoped the Government would dcolaro its policy on tho point of reserves and afforestation.

- SIR WALTER BUCHANAN (Wairarapa) said'he knew tho block in his district from which the reservation had peen lifted. Timber could not bo worksd on it. Ho intended to ask the Government to get a report upon the block oy a competent engincrar, and then throwHie ranis upon the Government of taking jotion upon tlie lines indicated by tho report. i

Mr. C. K. WILSON (Taumarunui) supported tlio views of Mr. Coates, ar.d held that it would bo bottea - to devote small reserves to settlement purposes rather-than have a few stiuitcd trees growing upon thorn.

Mr. G. W. FORBES (Huninui) defended the system of'reserves. Where the tim-

ber had disappeared, then the reservation could be lifted, but ho supported the general system. ■ • Planting Advocated. Mr. G. V. PEABGK (Paten) said that on tho West Coast of the .North Island the existence of useless forest reserves had imposed burdens on settlers because they lad to read through these areas. II o commended the recommendation of the. Forestry Commission that laud at the mouth of-the Itongitikei Iliver should be planted with trees. Between Wanganui and the mouth of the Waitotara itivor tho ■ Government 'hud 1000 acres of similar land which cou.ld profitably bo planted. l!e----eerves in tho hilly back country should ba done away with, and lands - such as he had indicated should bo planted. Case for the Sawmillers. Mr. It. W. SMITH (Waimarino) supported- tho. views of Mr. Ccutes, and contended that sawmilling was one of the most important industries in the Dominion. On the question of 'reserves, lie said that many had been umvisoly .solectod. Tho time was not far distant wlien 110110 of. these reserves would have any green biisih upon them. During recent years largo areas round Waiinarino had been destroyed by ftre. JIo "contended it Would be much wit®r to utilise tho present bush areas.for sawmilling purpose.? than to run tho risk of their being destroyed by fire. PRIME MINISTER IN REPLY. A PItOPITABLIi DISCUSSION. Tho PRIME MlNlSTfrii/ in" replying said he was inclined to think that the time of the House had not been wasted by tliie discussion—at least not more so than iras usual on private members' days. He was quite ready to give all the information passible about the reservation to be lifted. Prom doouinents supplied to him, it appeared tliat the area consisted of 12,891 aores, boing part of the Hauirangi Bloak, Sections 8, 11, 12, and 10, Aorangi Survey District, and Block 13 of tho Waipawa Settlement. There wWro 15,000 or :lli,ooo aores of standing forest left. Under the heading of "Reason for proposal to withdraw," th&o was this: "It is desired to lift the.reservation in order that the land may bo subdivided for settlement. Forest of 8391 acres lias boon destroyed by fire, ami in order to obtain totter boundaries, it is desirable to includo with this an additional a.rta of 1300 acres, although tho bush is still standing on it, but is in imminent danger of being swept by firo when tho settlors clear their holdings lower down, Fires have run through this

forest at different times in the last .20 years." Tho kind was valued at 255. per acre, and was suitable for ill large areas. About 8000 aoriw were partly grassed, and were already carrying stoclt. Thcire wore well-formed roads to tiie land, H'liiich was distant aliouit 18 miles from Martinborougli. Ho 'had first heard of tho land from tho membra for Wairaiapa som,e eighteen, month's ago. A deputation stated that the land was capable of canrying two siheep par acre. Since then ■ho hail gone fully into the question, and heard both sides of t'lie matter. It liad bean asked that tho area slhould be reserved as a shelter for deer, but lie felt that tho land was mow valuablo to the country for settlement purposes, and accordingly preparations had been made for using it,

More Purchases Necessary. They had to rememtar that Crown land was becoming _ somewhat scarce ill this country, and it would bo seen later on when the Lands report reached Parliament that it must become necessary for the State to purchase more land for tlemant purposes in future than 'had been the ease in recent years. Tlu's was for the simple reason that land suitable for settlement was being gradually and rapidly taken up, and as the supply must be equal to tlho demand, they must fall back upon privately-owned land. Ho did not want to open up tho whole land question, but he would refer to ono or two remarks mado. A Neglected Duty. He thoroughly agreed with members who had spoken on. the subject of afforestation amd had expressed opinions in regard to its importance. They had not done anything like enough in tho way of afforestation tip to the present, and it was their duty to do moro in the future than had been done in the past. Local bodies, as well as the Government, should take up tho work, and private individuals should also do something. The Forestry Department was doing a good deal. During the present season it was planting no fewer tlian 0,850,000 trees. The greater number of.these . trees had been already planted, and the remainder would bo planted within the next few weeks. He did not say that this was sufficient, but he hoped to get things placed on a more businesslike and scientific basis presently than it had been in for'a long time past. What they had to find out wa.s tho number of trees required to meet the needs of this country for the next 25 or 30 years. His promise that an opportunity would ba given for tho discussion of the Forestry Commission's report would be kept, but he could not say when, until the Financial Debate had been disposed of. A Statement of Policy. Replying to members who had asked for a statement L.f policy jn-regard to reserves, he would say that where a reserve had any value for sccni'c ■ or for forest purposes, that reserve should be kept; and Should not be interfered with, but." as one who-had travelled round tlie country a good deal, and as a practical man. ho considered that a great many of tnese reson-03 were of no valuo at all for the

purpose for which they had been set apart. Anyone who travelled through-the North Island must bo aware of this. In many case 3 these scenic and forest reserves were becoming breeding places for noxious Weeds and noxious animals. Settlers in various districts had petitioned him to lift the reservation from these areas. A Doomed Forest. In accordance with a promise made last session, he had visited the Waipoua forest during tho recess, early in the Bummer. He agreed with Mr. Coates about the danger from lire, and considered it almost a miracle that the forest had not been burned last summer. If the present state of things were allowed to continue, so surely as the sun rose tomorrow morning, the Waipona fo'rest would go up in smoke and hre. He believed that the commission was. absolutely right in its recommendation regarding the forest. It should not. be opened for the purposes of sawmilling in the ordinary way, but should be kept for the purposes of the State. Large quantities of timber were used by the State, and what he thought should b9 done within the next year or two was to continue the ICailiu line for four miles beyond the place at which it stopped ,to-day to Donnelly's Crossing. At this point it would tap the Waipoua forest. Then a State sawmill should be put in, and the timber used for the purposes of the State. No one was more anxious than lie was to preserve- part of this forest if it could possibly be done. Peoplo in the district had told him that royalties on the kauri in the forest would realise ,£500,000, and royalties upon other timber ,£250,000, threequarters of a million sterling in all. This would give some idea of tho value of the timber in tho, forest. Every attempt should be made to preser-ve some of the very best, and most picturesquo portions of the forest, but northern members would understand how exceedingly difficult it was to preserve inflammable' trees like the kauri. Unfortunately the kauri, unlike other trees,. caught fire on tho top and burned Tight down. A large part of tha forest aim was fit for settlement, and the duty of the Government seemed to be to settle tho land, utilise as much of the timber as possible for State purpose, and reserve somo portions of the lerest for the benefit of future generation'!. Finally the Prim© Minister promised that if members desired it, a full day would be set apart for the discussion of the -Forestry Commission's report and of tho very important subject of afforestation.

The paper which had given riso to the discussion, was laid upon the table.