NEW ZEALAND FORESTRY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2919, 3 November 1916, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND FORESTRY

Sir,—Mr. D. E. Hutchins, F.R.G.S., cavb an address at' a meeting of the New Zealand Forestry League, Wellington, on July 11 last, and it now appears in the "Journal of Agriculture'! for this month (October), and will he continued in the November issue. As far as is published it makes interesting and instructive reading, and I wish, with your permission, to draw more public attention to tho report. It is a, matter in which every New Zoalander is interested,. becauso it goes deeper into the cconomio question of the cost of living than is apparent at first sight. Tho professor shows clear-' ly and conclusively that Now Zealand has, for over half a century, been cutting its own throat, so to speak. It has denuded tlie land of tho' virgin forest and has not dono anything, or comparatively very little, to replace what has been wantonly destroyed. Ho noints out that the forest could have been made to pay handsomely for its upkeep by .judicious thinning. That this. should havo been done under a, proper Forestry Department, , and it would havo plenty of timber for building and furniture, and wood for fuel. The cost of living, he points out, could havo been considerably loss than it is bv conserving the forests. See the cost of (limber and firewood now, through the distance it lias to he carried. He points out that the -preservation of the forests in tho neighbourhood of towns is .an absolnto economy. Tho argument or assertion that our timber trees do not grow as rnnidly as timber in other caintrics is fallacious. On the contrary, ho proves that our forefjt trees mature more quickly. That we havo made the error of reokoning too long a life for our trees, to use his own words, "Tim conclusion intended to be drawn is that it takes 416 years for a totara. to mature. This is very misleading." Ho goes on to sav that the most profilabl" time for cutting is SO to 80 years. He then makes comnnrisons tiotwenn Californian and New Zealand trcps. But. Sir, it would takn too much spam to , follow him ■ throneh his valuable "'rldrcss. Let your readers •jj* . No- 4. Vol. XIII. of the .Journal a'nd read for themselves. Trusting my small effort will assist in bringing tho preservation of our forests more nrominently before tho public. As Twhi. spci-pfary to tho Mount Hector' Tourists Trnck .Committee.' I fool much interest in this Question, and mv commitfen has assisted in the preservation of trie native flora in the Tararuas.—l,am, pfc.. MARK MAXTON Grovtown, October 30, 1916.