The Evening Star. TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 1874

Evening Star, Issue 3536, 23 June 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 1874

On reading the report of the Inspector of Forests, published in the Evening Star last evening, it will be particularly noticed that he draws attention to the fact of there being in Southland timber on the ground to last 400 years, supposing twenty saw-mills are each employed cutting at the rate of 100 acres yearly. This calculation, as there are 800,000 acres of forest, is based on the idea that there is to be no reproduction —that, in fact, consumption is to go on, but no trees are to grow to replace those cut down. He goes further, and shows that those twenty mills will employ at least 300 men, earning in the aggregate £ 30,000 a-year wages, and that the produce of their labor will be largely exported. It would naturally be supposed from this statement that every encouragement would be given to an industry so profitable to the country j and that the Waste Land Board of Southland, who are intrusted with the administration of such valuable sources of revenue, would anxiously seek to develop them to the utmost. Four hundred years’ supply of timber to start with is practically an exhaustless mine of wealth to a country, if the management of forests is properly attended to. Four times twenty mills would be required to clear it off in one hundred years, and by that time more than an ample supply could be reproduced, so that for ages to come, practically for all time, were wisdom displayed in our administration, there would be an unfailing and immediate source of employment for a population of 1,200 men and their* families. *\Vith these facts before us we were astonished on reading the following report of the proceedings of the Southland Waste Land Board, published in the ‘ Southland Times Wednesday, May 20, and our readers will share in our surprise :

There was a meeting of the Waste Land Board on Monday, the 18th May, when the Chief Commissioner and Messrs Baker, M‘Arthur, and Mitchell, were present. Mr Wade solicitor for Mr T. Brown, applied for a steam saw-mill license at Woody Knolls Bush, near Wxnton, the license to cover an area of 440 acres. The license had been applied for some months ago, but the Board bad held over the application on the ground that the bush contained a large number of trees fit for being cut into railway sleepers. Mr Baker said that if the applicant were to be allowed to cut sleepers he should be charged at the rate of Is per hundred feet, instead of only 3d, the present current rate. For the sake of local settlers, it was most desirable to have a saw-mill at the Woody Knolls, but he (Mr Baker) would decidedly oppose the applicant's being allowed to cut sleepers. Mr Wade explained that the avowed purpose of his principal was to obtain a license to cut sleepers, and that a license to cut posts and rails and scantling only, would not be likely to suit. The Chief Commissioner was of opinion that no present benefit which the Board derive from granting such a license as was desired, could compensate for the consequent future wants of the settlers. To grant the license would deprive the settlers of material for future fences. Mr Wade urged that there was plenty of clay in the locality fit for the construction of permanent fences. The Chief Commissioner remarked that he believed there was plenty of gravel in the neighborhood, but he scarcely thought that either clay or gravel was peculiarly fit for fencing. Ultimately it was resolved to grant the license under the following conditions:-First, the area shall not exceed 340 acres ; second, the license shall not be permitted to cut railway sleepers, or timber for export ; third, in the event of these conditions being broken, the license shall be cancelled, and the licensee prosecuted in terras of the Southland Timber Regulations, 1873. Mr Wade asked that his principal might get a fortnight to consider the conditions, and the Board complied with the request. There is much in this report that we cannot understand, and should imagine that it has been written by one who was not thoroughly up in his work ; but this remark does not apply to the resolution of the Board, the terms of which are plain enough, and of sufficient importance to justify being dealt with in a separate article. The sketch of the history of this affair would not, however, be complete without our stating that the applicant, feeling that he had not been fairly dealt with by the Board, endeavored, through Mr M‘Neil, M.P.0., to the matter investigated by the Provincial Council. Unfortunately Mr M‘Neil’s question was put too late in the session to obtain any results. In the ‘ Otago Guardian,’ under date June 12th, which we quote rather than our own version, in order that our statements may be corroborated by independent testimony, the manner in which the matter was dealt with by the head of the Executive is thus reported:— Mr M Neil asked the Provincial Secretary Waste Land Board at Invercargill is refusing to grant saw-mill licenses except applicants undertake (1) not to supply railway sleepers, and. (3) not to export timber, even coastwise, within the Province? 2. Are the Southland limber Regulations, alleged to be of 6th December, 1872, and found in * Provincial Gazettes of 9th July and 27th August, 1873 advertised m the ‘General Government Gazette, in accordance with the Southland \V aste Lands Act Amendment Act 1867 ?” Mr Reid replied that the Government were aware that the Waste Land Board at Invercargill did refuse to grant a saw-mill license in perhaps, one or two cases, except under the conditions stated : that the timber in the foiests, in which it was believed good timber was scarce, should not be cut for the purpose of sleepers for railways or export from the district, too tar as he had heard, it was with the view of preserving the forest for the benefit of bona fide settlers m the district. The Council Chamber

was not the place to express an opinion regarding the action of the Waste Land Board ; but if people located themselves in the centre of the forest, believing it to be reserved for their use, it would be a hard thing for the Board to grant licenses with the view to export. As to the second question, he wished to explain that he really had not had time to look up the matter. Perhaps it was a matter of minor importance whether the regulations were advertised or not; but he was bound to assume that they were advertised.

It will be seen that Mr Reid, to a great extent, evaded the question, and endeavored to prevent discussion by the extraordinary statement that the “ Council Chamber was not the place to express an opinion regarding the acrion of the Waste Land Board.” We have always been of opinion that a Waste Land Board should be so far irresponsible, as not to be liable to be swayed by passing political opinions. This has always been the practice in our Courts of law, in which our Judges administer those laws which the Legislature has passed. But if the Judges took upon themselves to enact laws as well as to superintend their administration, surely their conduct would not be beyond the pale of criticism in the very Chamber that created the laws. If Mr Reid’s dictum were sound, what would be the position of men with re* gard to public servants ? Because laws define what a Judge may or may not do, if he do what he ought not to do, is he, therefore, not to be condemned by the representatives of the people and the people themselves 1 And there is this analogy between our Judges, Magistrates, and Waste Land Boards, that their special duties are to cany out the laws in the several cases included in their special functions : our Judges and Magistrates, the general laws of the country * our Waste Land Boards, the Land Laws. Mr Reid’s answers were very unsatisfactory—quite as unsatisfactory as the action of the Southland Waste Laud Board in the “perhaps one or two cases” alluded to. To those “ one or two cases” we purpose drawing special attention j for whatever the motive that induced the decisions of the Board, we consider them opposed to the best interests of the Province and the Colony, and calculated to prevent the success of the immigration and public works policy.