OUR FORESTS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 222, 13 June 1919, Page 7

OUR FORESTS

NEW. GOVERNMENT POLICY REPLY TO WEST COAST CRITICISM . Reply was- -made by, Sir Francis Bell, Minister of Forestry, to.certain criticisms of the new policy of tho Government in ■regard to the conservation .. of forests The criticisms came from the.. West Coast, where a considerable area of forest i 9 reserved in the meantime, nnd some of the local .peoplo interested havo declared that the Government is staud-

ing in the way of the progress of the district in niokiny this reservation of timber. The new-policy .of tho Governv ment includes the ' appointment-'of- o trained forester, who will advise' the Government as to ho\v we fliitfht to proceed'in sucli matters as demarcation of .forest, to be milled, nnd lesioratioh of forests .from which .matured timber is .cut out. Steps have already. lieon taken 'to'secure the services of a suitable man, who ivill be selected irf England.. Sir Francis Bell's statement in reply to his . West Coast critics was as.follows:— "The cardinal .'point 'ofthe Governpolicy, is .to retain the. growing ' timber of .Mew Zealand for. the 'ise ot ' tile of Now Zealand. It would bo unreasonable.to put a complete stop :to export without consideration for the capital engaged. "and '.the men employed in the milling and ; for that ..reason the 'process of limitation of ex-' '.port is, to be;gradual, but certain, -It-i/ inevitable that ■ the -polloy so laid down should meet at tho present time witli opposition from that -seotion of-, the public, •which is most largely ooncerued with the timber trade, but when; it is, remembered thatithe- export of rimu.alone has grown from about «ight millibn-feet' in *19.13 to -Jiearly.^.fofty-million, feet in .the present yea?,- the necessity for-, immediate action must bo -apparent to every colonist -who takes an interest in the. future of' the Dominion, and regards, that future as 'his concern equally with the ' prosperity of the immediate present.' .."The contention, that the recent inclusion of large- areas in; provisional' State forests involves -:the' retention of . tho ■whole of shch-area as permanent forest, 'and prevents the clearing of lands .suitable for settlement, is-quite erroneous. The' effect of- the'inclusion in provisional State - forests, is merely' to- enable ' the ; 'Sate.forest- officials to lmve a voice in the "determination of what' nart of "tho lands so reserved shall bfe- cleared .'of timber and made available for settlement,; nnd should ihe reserved as permanent, forest. V -Tli<j application of 'thsjpplicy- of "reserv'atioii is not'limited •to the. West. Coast' ; lands, liut already lands in other parts'of the Doriiinion have'been so reserve*], and. it is .intended to continue such reservation, by successive proclamations.. Moreover,' the prohibition; against sale or catting rights is not absolute.. In every case a iicense may be obtained from the Governor-in-Coun'cil..wh'ere'.it is 'shown that the land on which the timber is growing is suitable: for aiid required for,'.'settlement. The Forest Department does not intend or desire to retain land of that class as permanent forest, but does., iiisist' / n retaining lands which are not specially suited. for settlement,', and on which timber has already matured and.'...is - growing to maturity, 'for. the supply of : tliq people of New Zealand, both.at the present and in the future.. Those opposed to that polioy desire that timber fit .for milling should be.'now cu,t and the growing timber destroyed, not; for the purpose of promoting- settlement, but for the . purpose of enabling the markets of other , countries than New Zealand to lie ■supplied with tho best crop which, the land liaa ever produced in the past, or' can ever produce in the future." - ' r '