Our Timber Supply.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 99, 25 April 1885, Page 3

Our Timber Supply.

While people in Auckland have had their attention turned both by the Premier and Colonial Treasurer to the necessity for conserving their foiests, it sounds queer to hear a Southorri paper arguing for their denudation. The Dunedin "Herald" of a recent issue says '.—"ln a Liverpool report of the timber trade in Britain for 18S4, [now before us, it is interesting to notice that tho large bulk of the supply is from British North America in tho shape of yollow pine. Tho United States supplies a considerable quantity of pitch pine ; the Baltic countries fir and oak timber ; furniture timber comes from Honduras, Mexico, and tian Domingo. It is to bo viewed as a blot on our escutcheon that New Zealand does not contribute a single stick. The importation of timber of all kind.3 into tho United. Kingdom is a matter of millions sterling. Tho export of New Zealand timber is not more than £150,000 per annum, although we have in the North a large amount of furnituro timber which would bring fabulous prices in London." It seems to us it would be a bigger blot on our escutcheon if, for the sake even of "fabulous prices," we completed the ruin of the country by stripping it of its timber to supply the London market. While we deprecate any rigid locking up of our forests, we would morestrenuouslyopposeany wholesale scheme of cutting them down to supply an export trade. The sonsible plan is to enforce re-planting, and Government ought to show the examplo by pursuing such a policy on thoir waste lands throughout the colony. The slow-growing kauri may be doomed to extinction, but that is no reason why ifca place should not be filled by other useful timb3r. And the fact thai the time ot its extinction is within measurable distance forms no excuse for hastening tho end, but rather supplies a strong reason for conserving and economising the use of it as far as poesiblo

The Colonial Secretary having issued a new regulation, the object of which is stated to be " to prevent the Hoapital being filled up with cases which should not be sent to it," the medical men of Wellington eonsidor themselves insulted, and demand the withdrawal of the insinuation.