Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star WEDNESDAY 26th. JANUARY, 1921. TIMBER ROYALTIES.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 January 1921, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star WEDNESDAY 26th. JANUARY, 1921. TIMBER ROYALTIES.

Jt hub been mentioned already in these •columns how important to the local bodies—and therefore to the general public- is the allocation if the timber royalties under the forestry, administration. This source of revenue lor local 'todies who incurred heavy cost# in constructing and maintaining highways through forest country. Indeed, in the bill as first drafted, the whole of the revenue from timber royalties was apportioned to the local bodies, hut at* the last moment the clause was remodelled, and the quota fixed at one-half. That has Been the position since 1905, what applied to timber applied also to flax. Now the forestry regulations are made to override the pre-war conditions, and it has been a moot point what was to he apportioned to the local bodies. The Minister in Charge .seemed disposed to appropriate the lot. At all events lie w ukl give no indication at the outset of his intentions, and though lie decided other points of the policy t° his

(,\vn liking, this subject was deferred. Last week at the conference with the Federated Sawnullers in "Wellington, Sir Francis 801 l proposed an allocation of (say; 20 per cent of the not revenue This is very different from half of the gross sum, and in the light of the fact that the Minister proposes to deal only with ‘'net" revenue, vill he but a fraction of the former quota. This curtailment will at once disorganise local finance, and have the tendency to place more and more <>n the people in the way of rates to make up the shortage, of revenue. This contingency at once emphasises how the public may ho drawn into the matter. Mr Butler very correctly hinted to the conference that the point raised by the Minister’s statement would be attacked by the local biodies concerned, and the sooner action is taken the better On referring to the digest- of the forestry policy which has been published, it will seen that it is proposed to borrow .£'872,000 for initial development expenditure’ by tbe Forestry Department. A vote of £23,000 additional is required for special forestry projects; and ou top of this sum of nearly one million sterlmg, £53,000 per year will be necessary tor current management and operation. Tn the digest it is recorded gravely that when the report was discussed by the sawmijlers it was generally thought that a more liberal scale of salaries would he necessary to secure a reliable service l There is to be a staff for forestry in each district. Work hitherto admirably done by the Warden and the Commissioner of Crown Lands within their ordinary duties, is to bo passed on

to a special resident officer in Westland, who will*' receive, wo believe, £7OO. He will have a suite of offices and a set of officers with important sounding titles and salaries to fit them. Ihe ranger or two who did the district will be increased to some seven. Snell officers and generally the cost of the administration will he added to in the same extravagant ratio. The Minister certainly had his joke on the local bodies when with such a field for ex- . penditure lie talks of offering 20 per cent of the net revenue. With the enormous sum of borrowed money to pay for, and the cost of running this extravagantly constituted Forestry Department, we have visions of n deficit tlicr than a surplus. The Minister could complete the joke then by calling i on the local bodies to pay 20 per cent of the deficiency! But whether bent on making the Department pay or not, it is certain the royalties will he jnci eased to make a better showing, so that in any enso the timber produced j ls 8 ol ' n f? to cost more and the public as ) j "’ (> M as losing revenue through their j j local bodies will have to pay more for j' tho timber they see fit to use. ' The Minister’s long statement on his fores- 1 1 try polioy emphasises the increased cost | of Funning the Department at overy turn. It is going to be a first class Department in every sense, and on that score, I there need be no difference of opin-

ion, hut will tho game be worth the candle Can the people as a dhole pay for the luxury of his newly created DeI partment, the work of which hitherto has been done in the main most satisfactorily by existing Departments. It was well, of course, to get the best advice on improved methods and to carry out those methods there was the machinery in existence good enough for the needs of tho country. That machinery is now being discarded, and something much more costly to instal and far more expensive to run, is being set in motion. The country will have to foot the bill all the time, and while the people will ’Jjay out, local bodies and local government will suffer for the loss of revenue taken unfairly and unnecessarily from them.

What has just been said about the Forestry Department applies in the main to the general extravagance which pervades the departmental expenditure in tho Public Service. The Lyttelton Times in the course of a set of articles reviewing tiie position, which we have

I taken the liberty of reprinting .1 .■ ,ng tile past three days, has dealt with t.ie whole subject very trenchantly. Facts and figures have been laid bare in very clear array, and all readers must have been impressed with the -seriousness of tiie position revealed by the failure of Reform finance to deal adequately with tho position. The tremendous drill which has taken place since Sir Joseph Ward left the National Government is remarkable. So remarkable indeed that if it continues for another few months the general stringency which will result will cause the people to demand the return of Sir Joseph to office in the endeavour to save the country from financial disaster. As matters point now such a happening is not unlikely. Mr Massey, certainly, at the eleventh hour invited rather than directed the heads of Departments to curtail'expenditure and help to retrieve the position. As Minister of Finance, and with his Public Service Board be might himself under take the unpleasant task of compulsory retrenchment. It is doubtful if the heads of Departments will he disposed to go far enough. They have their own important positions to maintain, and it needs a man of courage and resource to tackle the job. Sir Joseph Ward in his day of the Premiership had the courage to face the personal responsibility ami though later the action cost him his office lie had the satisfaction of doing his duty to the country, and the people are at last beginning to realise his value and worth at the head of the finances of the Dominion. It was indeed most fortunate lie was in office for the period of the war, and there is the call now for one no less able to control the Public Exchequer if the financial position is to he retrieved with a minimum of discomfort.