The Evening Star FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 1874

Evening Star, Issue 3456, 20 March 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 1874

Ttte attention likely to be given by the legislature to the consideration of forests is already producing good effect. A few years ago. any application for the putchase of land would have been entertained by the ' Waste Land- Board of the day, and granted, no matter how valuable that which it bore or contained, if it suited a particular political end. The necessity for strict stewardship of the Provincial Estate was not held to be one, of its functions. , T0 forward special party views seemed in those days to be considered a political creed with the changing members of the Beard j and according as the farmer’s or squatter’s friends happened to be in the- majority, or the Province .-was in funds or in debt, the land Was doled out in driblets or lavishly thrown away in huge blocks. There are those who look back with regret to that state of things and profess to see no improvement in the proceedings of la Board, placed beyond the reach of administrations! influence. It is Undeniable that no arrangement, however perfect, would suit some people. They'find fault when the sun shines, because they apprehend a storm after it j and with the. rain, because they fear a flood. They would have all things governed by local rather than general principles. They are descendants of that class of thinkers who peopled the earth with gods, each presiding oyer a pool of water, a strip of wood> a river, plain, or parish. With them, a man with! a name, or influence, or a wellfilled pocket, always had special claims on their consideration, and generally found his desires attended to. It is amazing how well such men fared under the old regime. They obtained bush-land, which they did not knqW how to use and ruined, or which they have wisely conserved ; or scores of acres of valuable minerals, of which the Waste Land Board of the day did not know the existence. The example set by the reformed Board of in quiring ini o the area and extent of our forests may be ! followed with great advantage in regard to every product or deposit tending to render land specially valuable. With regard to the conservation of jOur forests, we think it will be necessary to arm the Poafd'with'Tety difterent powers from those they at present wield, Either they, or eojae specially

appointed body, will require a staff of officers under them whose special duty it should be to see that forest timber is used, not Those /men should not only no¥ coststhe @ything, but should be the iby which a large additional revenue should be realised. Their office would be to mark such trees as may be felled, to see that they are only cut down at the proper season, that the land is left in condition involving no expense in utili sing, it, (either for planting or agriculture, and that a fair price be paid by the sawyer or splitter for the yrdod required. This is the plan followed by the owners, of large estates at Home : but how do we in Otago .manage matters 1 Anyone passing jover the country between Dunedinland Blueskin, must be struck with I the waste, that has taken .place through ! the slovenly manner in which Woodjoutters have, felled , the timber. There 'are, hundreds *pf acres of stumps in : ground that, if not' suitable for: the plough, might have been planted, and ; reproducing wood in the place of that which has been consumed; The simple reason is that it is for the moment cheaper to cut a tree down than to grub it up, although the stump left .standing and the roots contain sufficient fuel to pay for the extra cost of grubbing—at any rate if done while the tree is standing. In consequence of this wasteful system tens of thousands of tons of .fuel lie unused, and years will pass before it is so decayed ‘ as to render useful occupation of the land possible. Year by year;.supplies of wood are drawn from longer distances, and the price is continually advancing, sO that the “ National Estate ” is becoming! less valuable to its owners-r-the people—who, through the increasing dearness f 9f fpel, Are increasingly heavily taxed, because those : foghorn'’they remitted the care of their- estate did hot know the principles on which it should be managed. A Home Writer on this ;subject, says

Wood is too valuable in. Britain to be used for fuel, except in very distant and woody districts. Coals have everywhere superseded it ; but wherever woods are 1 cut down, - and especially where the roots are grubbed up, they give an excellent and economical fuel for the poor. or to use.in the lime and brick-kilns.- , ■ ’ At every meeting of the Waste Land Board, the waste that has been going on is brought before them. Yesterday, a once well-timbered island in the Clutba was found to be cleared of its available timber

Mr Hughan, Ranger, reported on the application of Mr Ralph Mqir to purchase an island of the Clutha River, being Section 46, blodk 11, Hill-end, that he had inspected the island, and found that the whole of the available timber bad been removed, and that nothing remained but manuka scrub and supple-jacks. No license had been issued for the reserve for four years, and he knew of no objections to its being offered for sale. The island would be very unsuitable for forest planting, as it was $d liable to be flooded; even in ordinary floods the island was covered with water. Under these circumstances, he did not think it would be advisable to grant a license to occupy it under the forest-planting regulations.— Mr OLa-I'K, .expressed his doubt as to whether it would be advisable to sell this land. It might be useful some day.—The Board; decided that the land should be sold by auction as land of special value, having been eo long withheld from sale at the upset price of L2 2s per acre.

The “National Property” removed by an individual, or individuals, for private benefit without the acknowledgment to the - proprietors of the paltry price of a wood-cutter’s license;! £hat is. the. way in tilings 1 used to be managed. And withi'’regard to this particular spdt, the Hanger may be right in his reaspn fo£, ; supposing the island planting! j although from the fact Of a forest haying once been there, nature does nqt appear to have thought so—and tlie Waste Land Board must have an idea that Nature knew something . about it, by placing an upset price of two guineas an acre upon it, because “it has been so long; withheld from sale!” We wonder what l use- the applicant means to jjqt it ta ; It is Worth the inquiry on behalf of tile public, as tlie floods in prospect do not seem to; alarm him much, nor the Board either, judging by the Value they place upon it. ;