OUR TIMBER SUPPLY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 238, 2 July 1919, Page 6

OUR TIMBER SUPPLY

Representatives of the Timber Workers'-Federation who interviewed Ministers 011 Monday had some; tiling to say about the regulations lately introduced in the interests of forest conservation, and on the

■■vhole their impression of these regulations seemed to he unfavourable. It could not be better exemplified that entirely erroneous impressions are bound to be created until the Government has fully organised its Forestry Department and clearly outlined a forest policy. When these things have been done it will be made manifest to timber workers thai; their interests, even more than those of other sections of tho_ community, are wholly identified with a rational policy of forest conservation. For timber workers a continuation of the wasteful methods of forest exploitation hitherto in vogue spells simply the early extinction of their industry. It is true that tho forests of Westland will last in any case for a fairly extended period, but Westland is very much richer in standing forest than any other part of the Dominion. Conservation of the remaining forests in Westland and elsewhere will not limit, but will greatly extend, the scope of employment available to timber workers. Under a forest policy on sound lines, there would be no question of withholding ripe timber from tho market. The essential aim would he, while cutting o'.it such timber, to preserve young and growing trees and in various other ways to produce a permanent and increasing supply of timber. In fact, a forest policy on right lines is restrictive only in checking utterly improvident destruction.. It should be clearly understood that restrictions oil export and similar measures arc matters rather of general than of forest policy. It may be questioned whether such measures are well advised or practicable, or could be applied at all without being applied comprehensively in the domain of _ production and supply. But in_ any case they arc to be distinguished clearly from a policy, of which the whole end and aim is simply to work forests permanently to the best advantage.