The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1930.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 January 1930, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1930.

AN INDUSTRY MENACED Nobody would dispute the wisdom of Sir Francis Dillon Bell in his endeavour to ensure that there shall be a supply of timber as adequate as possible for New Zealanders of future generations. Unless steps in this direction, here and in other countries are now taken, there must come a time when timber will neither heexportable nor importable, as the supply would then he everywhere exhausted. New Zealand is not justified in taking the risk of relying upon hopes of securing outside supplies; and therefore the only question left to decide is that of the quickest and cheapest way to meet the difficulty. That question, however, so lar as the Minister is concerned has been decided already, for he is ovidontly satisfied that he lias found the right way. The first Minister to reach siic-h a decision, he must lay claim to a knowledge of the whole timber ques tion, superior to that of all who differ from him in this important matter. So lar as the country generally and this ■ p rt ot it. in particular, are concerned. However, it is for the Minister to justify his assumption—and his policy—by a demonstration of the wisdom, justice and practical benefits of the course of action to which ho proposes to commit the country. So far he has failed to do so, and he therefore cannot, and we believe, not resent the course taken by the people of the West Coast

and other districts in meeting his atempt with the strongest. opposition which they arc able to offer it. And they have strong reason for their opposition. The plain meaning of the new forestry policy is that the problematical future timber needs of coming generations are held to justify the extinction, in great part, of a valuable established industry that is second in importance in the amount of labour employed, and capital invested, ;to one other alone on the West Coast, and is, in other respects, perhaps the most important (if all from a local standpoint. This might even be justified—for the more general interest is of greater importance, than the more local—if it could lie demonstrated that such a curtailment of one, of our two or three vital industries were going to achieve the object aimed at, or even were going to prove the most probable method of gaining that object. But that cannot he said of it. On the contrary, the best authorities are quite the other way. The forestry policy aims at p-eserving the existing species of timber, and to gain that end, aims at prohibiting exportation. Scenic reservations, have of course, no bearing on the future timber supply. Expert knowledge grfes to show that the native timbers, from an economic standpoint, through their slow growth, are inferior to other species. At any rate, before deciding on so important a question, the duty of the Minister is to test tlie question by a series of experiments. He cannot claim that the opposition to him is unreasonable until lie does experiment and thus decide the point. The Minister hits agreed to modify tiie white pine embargo in order not to hinder settlement, but the red pine lands are being settled as 7,iey are cleared, despite what may be said against their fertility Moreover, nearly the whole West Coast is forest country yet. Cutting at the present rate will not exhaust its timber for well over a. century. To prohibit export means rendering 30 per cent, of the local output useless as it is only saleable in \ustralia. The effect of the prohibition is going to mean reducing, quickly the local output hv 50 per cent. This moans a loss to the country of £150,XX). Every miller is an exporter so hat every miller will lose. No other district is so dependent upon the Australian trade, which this locality has lone much to develop. Other districts have a good local market, reached by railway. The new •restrictions, to he fair in themselves, should take into onsidoration the proportion a district exports abroad when imposing an embargo on the new timber reserves. If such is fair with the present reservation, what would render it otherwise under the new rule for new areas. Even when four vp-i-t ago Australian prices were low, the West Coast had to depend on trial; market, and would have starved, so to speak, without it. I lie sawmillers would support the Minister in planting timber giving a bigger and quicker return to replace present bush in areas unsuitable for settlement. To wait till all young trees reach maturity is financially a suicidal policy, as native timbers do not grow one sixth as quickly as other Kinds of timbers that could be planted. Maintaining forests at 6s per acre long enough for native' trees to mature means a big loss. It also means increasing prices of timber to the public. Another most important aspect of the case is that of labour. What are many hundreds of workers to do if half the mills close or if staffs are reduced by half? There are here 180 watersiders who will also be affected. The danger is a very real one. The Minister says it is all a matter of trade risk, but what the category of risk may include from the Minister’s point of view, it would be surprising to know. The West Coast must unitedly agitate to remove the menace which these drastic regulations mean to it.