AFFORESTATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 37, 3 July 1914, Page 6

AFFORESTATION.

GOVERNMENT AID SUGGESTED. "Anyone who lias watched wdiat iias been going on during the past twenty years," said the Prime Minister in his address to the Hoard of Agriculture, '"must realise that in the next quarter of a century there will he very little timber left in Xew Zealand —that is that the indigenous forests will have been cut out. Already, the kauri is almost a thing of the past, except in certain areas which belong to the Crown. We have reserved two or three kauri forests north of Auckland, hut there is always a certain danger hanging over those reservations. If, during a dry summer, a lire gets xtart.-ti. away goes Sthe timber, because one,' a kauri bush •(gets on fire it is impossible to save it; and the same thing applies to a lesser extent to other timber. The position is that we have not sutlieient supply for the purposes of the people of New Zealand for much more than twenty-live years to come, and the time has arrived when we should do a very great deal more than we are doing in the way ol re-alTorestation, and the Government realise they have a serious duty in this respect. It is true that the Government* of this count"v hue done more in the way of afforestation than has been imagined, but, even so, enough has not be done either by the Government or bv the local bodies. I know the county councils have done a good deal, but, generally speaking, thev have not done enough. The same remark applies to private, individuals. More must be done by the whole of the people of Xew Zealand —the Government, the local bodies, the settlers, and by private individuals—than has been done up to the present unless Xew Zealand is going to look to other countries for its supply of timber, and I do not think we shall be very sxfe in doing that, because some ' other 'countries are very much in the same position as Xew Zealand.' Tn the United States and in Canada there is now a feeling of alarm as to what their position will be as regards timber supplies twenty-five years hence. Here again we auk the advice of the Board ol Agriculture." Mr .f. G. Wilson (chairman of the Hoard) said that he hud been glad to hear Mr Massev re'er to the subject of forestry, and it seemed to him that the Prime Minister have gone still further in dealing with it. ''l am speaking now,'' he said, "in the presence of Mr Mackenzie, who has charge of the Foi'estrv Department, and 1 cannot help saving I do not think forestry has luid a fair ronsiih'i'atioii in the past. 11l my opinion we should have someone at the bead of this branch who is a trained forester. Mr Mackenzie may or mav not hav' a knowledge of forestry, but, in any case, I am sure that he will acknowledge that he has had no regular training in the subject. 1 think probably the Minister will expect us to take that important aspect of the matter into consideration. 1 do not know. Mi Wilson went on to remark, "whether the Government expects the ratepayers to spend their moncv upon forests, tiecause the Government do not provide us with the money for this purpose. I am quite sure the members or the Board present who are members of local bodies will plant as much the " possibly can. II they are provided vitli the money, because they all realise the importance <?£ it. Hut the Government practically bar us from borrowing money from them, and they will not give us authority for borrowing from anybody else, so that I do not think they can blame the local bodies. At the same time, I think private individuals might help. 11l Canter bury, for instance. 1 know that Sir.lohn llall planted a great many acres of tree.-, in the Uororata Gorge, and that plantation was of immense benefit to the district, for the reason that the wind used to come down jtnat gorge with such tremendous force I as to seriously damage the pasture land, i In those days the Government did give j«nmn assistance, and even „ MV s^.„o | concession U i;lveii. herjiuso land tax is not charged on growing timber which individuals have planted, because it j would be rather hard to have to ]>ay taxation oil timber which would not beI come available for ;}() or 4!) years. 15ut j 1 think we oujjht to consider whether it would not be well to ask the (Jovern- | mont to renew th. 1 assistance which used to be given, because there is hardly any *' question of such importune? to us as " this question of forestry."

The I'limc .Minister (minted (Hit that although tlif Covernment 11:i<1 not been ill a position for a your or to to lend to local bodies, the position was quite different now. I.ocal bodies eonlil borrow from tile State and also under a State guarantee. "Tlien." lie continued, "as to the (|ii<'stion of whether tlic local bodies sliould not do a little more in the way of afforestation tlian they have done tip to tile present. 1 may say that in certain parts of New Zeala'nd the local authorities have done a good deal. There are count-, loifncils in the Canterbury proviirial district who have spent a considerable proportion of their revenue on planting trees, and what has been done in Canterbury. T know can be (lone in other districts. 1 know that, speaking generally, the local bodies in the North Island want the bulk of their money for making roads, but I think they have duties in connection with the planting of trees, and I believe even where roads are hard to make a little more could liave been done in the way of reafforestation than has been done up lo the present."