AMONG THE TALL TIMBER

Otaki Mail, 13 December 1922, Page 4

AMONG THE TALL TIMBER

INTERESTING VISIT TO N.S.W. FORESTS. Duiing Hie early portion of las month Mr T. R. Overton, Engineer tc the Horowlienua Power Board, visiieci Australia in connection with the Board's purchase of hardwood poles lor the reticulation requirements _ol the Horowlienua district. In Australia Mr Overton was joined by Mr A. Seifert, n member of the Board, who was on holiday, and lie accompanied Mi Overton to the extensive ■ forests, | where the necessary inspections were i Made of the raw material, as a result of which the Board was able to accept tenders at last Tuesday’s meeting i with a lull knowledge of the material it was purchasing. In conversation with a “Mail” represoutative, Mr Overton gave some interesting particulars of the forest lands of New South Wales, and the impressions gained in passing through the country, SYDNEY’S ADVANCEMENT. “Sydney is now n very fine city, and it has grown very much during the last seven years,” said Mr Overtoil. The fact of the city having fully 50 per cent of the voting power of the . state parliament shows the great Irillnence possessed by the people in the | State legislature. Large public works were now being planned for the purnose of giving better communication between the city and suburbs. An in- • stance of this will he an 18-minute | service from the centre of the city to Manly. A bridge costing approximately £6,000,000 is lo be built across the harbour, and by means of a subway the railway terminus will be brought practically into Circular Quay. NEWCASTLE FEELS SLUMP. The North C.oasl districts of New [ South Wales are among the richest in Australia. The visitors spent one night in Newcastle, a town of some 70.000 inhabitants, with a fine sea frontage, and reminds one of some of Hie manufacturing towns in Hie Old Coun- , try. Newcastle was feeling Iho iron and sloel slump severely. Millions of pounds’ worth of machinery were at (lie present time standing idle on account of Hie cheaper production of Belgian metals. 'The coal and hardwood business, however, was keeping things together. Some 50 per cent of Hie New South Wales hardwoods were shipped overseas from 'that port. The famous coal areas were very extensive, but dairying was now getting a definite footing, especially on Ihe Hunter River flats, where the land was of good quality. IN THE FOREST AREAS. The business on which Mr Overton and Mr Seifert were sent by tlie Power Board took them some 300 miles further north.. The journey was broken at Maxwell, and resumed by coach a distance of about 27 miles, and then joining Hie railway again for Grafton. The country generally was rough, being chiefly forest lands all the way. •At Grafton the rich river flats of the Clarence Iliver district commence, | and besides sawmilling, dairying and | sugar growing were important indusj tries. Grafton and South Grafton were I situated on both sides of the Clarence. I and have a population of about 9000 1 people. they travelled along the Clarence River for about 50 miles to Baltina, and then on to Lismore, through Casino and on through the hush and back to Grafton. This was all timber and dairying country. The district was'noted for the size of its iron bark, and square-hewn girders 70 l'eet long liavo been obtained there for ' export. Ironhark was chiefly grown on the hilly country, and would flourish on apparently the • poorest of land. Australia was a famous timberraising .country, and nature had proI vided all that was required in this | respect. Any attempt at killing a forf. est. unless repeated annually, only 1 tended to further prolific growth. Even bush fires had a certain mann--1 rial effect on the soil, and the trees ' grew stronger than ever. Ironbark ; was a quick grower, and in 25 to 30 u years the trees were sufficiently matur>ed for cutting for poles. Other classes 1 of hardwood grow even quicker, one a slaty or flooded gum. similar to our own bluegum, being a rapid grower. STRINGENT INSPECTION NECESSARY. The forest area of New South Wales comprised roughly 11,000,000 acres, and about 6,800,000 acres, have been re- | served 'by the. Forestry Commission- | ers. This was a department similar ] to our State. Forestry sevice in New Zealand with staffs of rangers and inspectors for the purpose of inspecting timber and,granting permits to export it. “If the inspection is efficient, why (have so many poles of inferior qua- • litv been sent to New Zealand for elec- | trie transmission line purposes?” Mr Overton was asked. “Whilst regretting this fact, there are two principal reasons for this unfortunate' position,” he said. The first was that we in New Zealand had been asking for matured timber and specifying sizes in which it had been impossible to get matured hardwood. Secondly, the term “mixed hardwoods” had been used under the misapprehension that it included all good i limber, but as a matter of fact a great j many of the so-called mixed hard- . woods had not got a life as good as j much of our New Zealand-grown blue- , gum, and he thought, generally speaking, the greater, interest which was { now being taken in hardwoods in the ] Dominion would he reflected in closer , inspections by the Koresfrv Depart- ■ nient in New Booth Wales prior to ■ shipment being made, particularly to j New Zealand. Mr Overton considered j the' Government, as the largest irn-* porters of timber .should improve' mat- * iers still- further Iw having a timber } expert of their own attached to the ■ State Department This, he felt sure, ! would result in an extensive .financial j Saving in timber purchases for New j Zealand, as we paid large sums of money to that department in inspec-1 tional fees.

WHY SUGAR IS DEAR. The sugar Industry is carried on fairly extensively in the Clarence River district, the Bayswater mil. being one of the largest in Australia. 'The wonder to outsiders is . why should sugar, which is locally produced. be so dear. The reason is supplied by the fact that the sugarbusiness is protected from outside competition riy a high tariff, and the local growers and refiners take advantage' of it by raising the price. Sugar was twopence per lb dearer in Aus- j tralia than in New Zealand for the | reason stated. The shipfiing trouble was the cause of great confusion at the Union Shipping Company’s office, in Sydney. The fact of the imprisoning of Hie firemen of the Moernki for ten weeks caused great consternation in labour circles, and it is feared the trouble hail-taken root more seriously.. One ol the popular jokes on going aboard a New Zea-land-bound steamer was to advise the passenger lo iake a rod and line, as no one was expected to get outside Sydney Heads. POLITICAL. While on their travels, the New Zealanders met Dr. Page in Grafton. This gentleman lias a wonderful career in Parliament, and was the leader of the Country Party although only two and a-half years in the Legislature. He was sanguine of giving Mr Hughes' a big bump at Hie Federal elections about tlie middle of this month. “Generally speaking, things are better in Australia than over here,” said Mr Overton. “One doesn’t hear Hie complaints about taxation from Hie men on the land that we have here, and the condition of the country is better as a result.” Mr Overton brought back a large number of views of Hie country districts, which give an excellent idea of the lores! areas, bush camps, the means of transportof Hie logs, and ..other photographs showed sugar cane plantations.