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The Evening Star. MONDAY, JUNE 22, 1874

It is just possible that the members of the Executive may have read two reports from Southland, laid on the table of the Provincial Council during the late session, one signed by Duncan M‘Arthur, who holds the position of Inspector of Forests, and the other by John R. Cutubertson, John H. Baker, and Walter H. Pearson, Classification Commissioners under S. W. L. A. A. A.ct, 1873. But if the Executive have read them, we are quite sure the majority of the population of the Town and Province liave not; and most probably many will very much wonder what the commission of these gentlemen is, who are entitled to add to their Christian and surnames the very imposing capitals S. W. L. A. A. Act, 1873. We assure our readers it is not a military, naval, m>r should it be a political office to which they are appointed. They simply intend to tell the world that they are appointed to carry out the provisions of the Southland Waste Lands Act Amendment Act, 1873, as to classification of land; but they have chosen to multiply the initials by needlessly adding a letter, for the first section of the Amendment Act expressly says it shall be called "The Southland Waste Lands Amendment Actso that S. W. L. A. Act would have been enough, though perhaps not quite so imposing on paper. The subjects reported on by Mr M'Arthub and the gentlemen who have affixed such a Jong tail to their names are the "Southland Jforests,” and the unsold lands in the Southland district. Perhaps it may add weight to their testimony when we add that one of them, Mr W. H. Pearson, is Chief Commissioner of Waste Lands of the Crown for the Southland district, and Mr Cuthrertson is an M.H.R. There is no need to dwell upon their report, for their idea of classification has extended only to two characteristics—agricultural and pastoral. We have a right to regard these annual reports in the light of stocktaking, and to expect that some data may be presented by which the value of the lands of the Province may be estimated. For a report to be worth anything, something more should be stated about a country concerning which a legislative body is called upon to make arrangements for twelve months forward, than merely how much land is fit for agriculture and how much for pasture. Anybody that knows the tail of a plough from the coulter could explain that. There need Rot be three paid " Classification Commissioners under S.W.L.A. A. Act, 1873,” to do that, supposing a man to have access to the j surveys made, and that he rode over a country fora summer’s pleasure journey. Southland is not so very vast a region as to render very much trouble necessary for such a meagre classification, and it seems more than likely that a man, with information before him accessible to the C. Crs. S.W.L.A.A, Act, might not have much difficulty in arriving sufficiently near the truth at his own fireside to enable him to compile a report equally accurate, with the help of a cigar and a glass of whisky toddy. The report is unique as a work of genius. It consists of seven lines, and informs the Executive, the Council, and the public that what follows is a description of the boundaries of the Crown lands in the district formerly constituting the Province of Southland, which have been classified by us (the gentlemen with the long tail) as ‘ agricultural ’ and ‘ pastoral ’ respectively being the whole of the unsold Crown lands within the said district not included in the Hundreds.” That is the preamble ; the report proper is ; The area pf land classified as “ agricultural ” amounts to 201,211 acres, more or less : and of : land classified as to 690,000 acres more or less. ’ 1 This is the sum of the information; furnished by the report of-the three C. Crs. under S.W.L.A. A. Act, 1873. The appendix to it is certainly

more explicit, but, from tbe minuteness of the details, we judge they are copied from some accurate surveys of the district. It will be seen that not one word is said about coal, which is known to be procurable over a large area ; not one word about gold, although a goldfield o n hich a number of persons are living and making wages has been worked for years ; not one word about the vast forests of Southland, the value of which is estimated by others enormously high. Beef, mutton, and corn are the sole ideal riches of the C. Crs. S. W.L.A.A. 4ct, 1873. There may be other valuable products or minerals available, but it would be too much to have asked the Commissioners to have trenched upon the geological chai’acter of the district, unless there are such striking features in it as tend to add to the value of this rich portion of Otago. With regard to the forests, however, the hiatus in the report is supplied by Mr M'Arthur; and, as we shall have a few words to say on this point, in which the administration by the Waste Land Board of Southland is immediately concerned, as a preliminary step, we will conclude this article with printing in full his report to the Chief Commissioner of Waste Lands : I have the honor to report that the quantity of timber cut this year under the new regulations, at a lordship or rental of 3d per 100 feet, has been for the ten mills now working, as follows, viz. January ... 472,239 feet ... £59 p 5 h February ... 538,467 „ ... 67 5 3 March ... 520,852 „ ... 66 4 6 1,540,558 „ £192 10 2J When the twenty saw-mills now in Southland are in full operation they will employ, on an average, fifteen hands each, or a total of at least 300 men, whose combined wages will amount to about £36,000 per annum—the quantity of timber cut being over 12,U00,000 feet and largely exported, realising, for distribution over the district, the large sum of about £50,000 per annum. It is gratifying to be able to state that the forest is being fairly dealt with and properly utilized. The new timber regulations appear to work well. While they are liberal and workable, they are at the same time such as to enable the Inspector to enforce the proper utilization, and prevent any wasteful destruction of the forests. It is also gratifying to have to report that there have been no bush fires during the past summer, which has been very much due to the great care exercised by the mill-owners, who have expensive plants in the shape of machinery and' tramways to maintain. _ There are upwards of 800,000 acres of forest in Scotland, and nearly all available, which, at the rate of 100 acres per annum to each of twenty saw-mills, would last for 400 years. There is, therefore, no reason to apprehend a scarcity of timber, provided the forests are not wantonly destroyed (as there is ample time for a succession of full-grown timber) both by preserving the young native plants, and by planting British and other forest trees.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD18740622.2.8

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Evening Star, Issue 3535, 22 June 1874, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,198

The Evening Star. MONDAY, JUNE 22, 1874 Evening Star, Issue 3535, 22 June 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. MONDAY, JUNE 22, 1874 Evening Star, Issue 3535, 22 June 1874, Page 2

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