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AFFORESTATION.

GOVERNMENT AID SUGGESTED. "Any 0110 who has watchcd what has been going on' 'during the last twenty years,'', said tlio Primo Minister in' his addro3s to the Board of Agriculture, "'must roaliso'that in tho next quarter of a .century there will be very little timber'"loft iii New Zealand—that is, tin J tlio -indigenous' ri.rt.sts v. ill have "been cii& out; already the kauri is almost a thing of the past, except in eertnni areas vivcli belong to the Crown. iVv'o have reserved two or. three kauri forests'.north'or Auckland, but there is always., a certain .danger hanging, over those . .reservations. / If during a .dry summer a firo gets started, away goes tho timber, beeauso once .a kauri hush gets on fire it is' impossiblo to save it; and tho same thing applies to a lesser extent to other timber. ' Tflo position is that-we -have not sufficient supply for tho ipurposes ofi.tho people of New 1 Zealand:; for: .much more than twentyfive years to comc, and the time has arrived when we should a very great deal moro than wo are doing in the way of reafforestation, and tho. Government realiso tliat they have a serious duty in this respect. ;It is true-that the Govwnmeiits'of this'country have done more in th.?;: way of afforestation than hab >een . imagined,, but, ;even so, enough las riot-beeri dono either by tho Government or by local bodies. I know tile county 'councils'-have . done, a good deal, but,- generally speaking, they have not done enough. Tho samo remark applies to private individuals. MOre must be dona by tho whole of the people of Now Zealand—tho Government, the local bodies, - the settlers, and by private individuals—than has been done up .to.,the present unless'Kew'Zealand is going to . look .to other countries I for its supply of timber, and I. do not think ivo shall be very 1 safe in doing that, because some other-countrieb aro very much in tho same position as New Zealand. In tho United States and in Canada there" is now a feeling of alarm as to what rtheir-position'will be as regards timber supplies twenty-fivo 'years lirence. Here again wo ask the advice of the Board of Agriculture." Mr. "J.'.G. Wilson (chairman'of the Board) 'said that he had been glad to hear Mr. Massey refetvto the subject of forestry, and it. seemed to him that "the Prime .Minister might have gone still further in dealing w'ith at. "I am speaking ..-now,'.'., lie said, ."in the presence of. Mr. Mackenzie, who has charge of the Forestry Department, and I cannot help saying I do not think forestry' lias'had a fair donsideration in the past,.' 11l my, opinion we should havosonie one at the head of this branch who is a trained forester. Mr. Mackenzie may or may not have a knowledge of forestry, but. in any case, I am suro ho will acknowledge at onco that he has had 110 regular training in the subject. I think probably the Minister will expect us to take' that important aspect of tho matter into consideration. Ido not know," Mr. Wilson went on to remark, "whether the Government expect tho ratepayers to spend their money upon forests, because the Government do not provide us with the money for this purpose. I am quite •sure the members of the board present who arc members of local bodies will plant as . much as they, possibly can if they ar6; provided withTtto money, beeauso they all realise tno importance of it. But tho Government practically bar u> from borrowing money from them, and they will not give us authority to borrow from any one else, so that I do iiot think they can blame the. local bodies. At the same time I think private individuals might help. In Canterbury, for instance, I know, that Sir John Hall planted a great many acres of trees in tho Hororata Gorge, and that plantation was of immense benefit to the' district, for tho reason that the vjnd . used .to. conic (lowh that-gorge with-such tremendous force as to seriously' damage -.tho pasture'/land. In those, days 'tlie' Government did give some assistance, and even, now some concession is, given, bceause land tax is not charged on growing timber which individuals' ihavo planted, because it would Oo rather hard to have to pay taxation oil timber which would not become available for thirty or forty "years. liut I think we ought to consider whether it would not be,'well to ask the Government , to renew, the assistance which used to be given, because there is hardly any question of such importance to us as tliis question of forestry." The Prime.Minister pointed out that although the. Government had not been, in a • position- -for- a*>year or two to lend t» local bodies, the position iyas quite different now. Local bodies could borrow from' the State and also under a State guarantee. "Then," he continued, "as to the question of whether tho local bodies should not do a little, more . }" the way, of afforestation thaiithey have dono up to-tho'jircscht," I'ma'y say that in certain parts of -New Zealand tlio local authorities have done a good deal. There are county councils in the CantcrbiiVy provincial', district who have spent S considerable proportion of their revenue on planting* trees, and what has been done in Canterbury, I know can be done in other districts. I know that, speaking generally',' the local bodies m the North Island:,want' the bulk of.their money for the. making of roads, but I think rtliey-have duties m connection with the planting . ;of trees, and I believe, even where' roadS' are hard to make-a little more could have been done in the wav of-reaffores-tation than has been doiio up-to tho . present."

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19140630.2.101.1

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2189, 30 June 1914, Page 10

Word count
Tapeke kupu
951

AFFORESTATION. Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2189, 30 June 1914, Page 10

AFFORESTATION. Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2189, 30 June 1914, Page 10

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