FORESTRY COMPANIES

Hokitika Guardian, 7 January 1929, Page 7

FORESTRY COMPANIES

LOP,I) CLINTON’S WANNING. PHOKJTri MAY NIC MALE. 8 pea kin' at the o*fi' : *1 dimin' to the < i iv* Delegates delegates a tie; liv the Prime .Minister and Alinisters o,!' Dtak: at Parliament House, t aniieira. Lori Clinton said: ■There is one thing I have noticed and all ol us must have noticed, I think, that the. only sort of inter*.st the general public takes in forestry is in the nature of some p'ssPde profit which hi iv lie nn'V- out of it and, *''orLa.uaLely, an impetus has given to that idea by lerinin peonlo wlio appear to have Loon dreaming dreams, jK'ojiie who have broadcaster throughout this country-—throughout the Old Country ako ~*.onie golfer* vision of profits and wealth to he made out of planting trees. I regret that very much, pertly because ] think it may cause disappointment to many people, and partly because out oil that disappointment then* may lie some reaction which 111 vbe dangerous to the progress of Slate forestry h n re. 1 would not have troubled to allude to this matter at all, lint for one fact It appears to us that during the course of he last few weeks there has been some attempt to use this conference of the proceedings of this conference., as some sort of an advertisement or as a support for the financial ideas of those people or those companiss, and T think I may say this we resent altogether the idea of any connection even tiring suggested boteen the forest er’s idea of finance and that which has been nut forward so sedulously recently. (Hear, hear). 'Profits may tie made —and I trust will he made—out of forests. They can he made profitable, I am confident, provided that forests are worked under a good system of management, and a highly trained and highly educated staff. But 1 would like to say that 1 have never, speaking for myself, attempted to advocate a forestry scheme for my own Government, oil financial grounds; and it is quite necessary to do so. There are other grounds, in many igspects more important than finance which make forestry a proposition should he cultivated by every State " Commenting on Lord Clinton’s remarks, Jobson’s “Invcstigamg Digest” says:— “Wo do not believe, and have never believed, that forestry companies can show the enormous profits wh;ci. have been held out- before prospective bondholders and in v i-i ors. “The only sensible way for the investor to regard* these forestry companies is a long-dated gamble. If anyone lias £25 or £-‘l2. or however many pounds to face value of the bond may be, to spare, then ho may feel inclined to gamble on be lull f of posterity, just as the punter may take a fiver or tenner to the races with the knowledge that he can afford to lose that amount for an afternoon’s, enjoyment and the wise may regards any portion of that fiver or tenner with which lie returns home as winnings.”

CANADA’S PROBLF.AI. A sidelight on (.'atimlsi’s chief pro blem namely the constant drift of population over the border into the United States was presented at a political gathering in A’ietoria, British Columbia, recently. Tbe Hon. 1L B. Bennett former Afinister of Justke for Canada was advocating greater economic ind< pondence for the Dominion. On the immigration question Air Bennett said that during the last six years there were 573,020 people 'brought into Canada, and during the same time 50.1.000 had gone to the United States “Why had they? Because they went to get a job, because Canada was. sending her money there lor goods.” he asserted.