STATE FORESTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 November 1918, Page 7

STATE FORESTS.

THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSALS.

States Sir Joseph Ward in hia au mial budget:—

Tiie Government proposes that the State forests shall henceforth be managed and controlled by a separate Minister, with the special duty of utilising them for the supply to the Dominion of timber from trees ripe for cutting, coupled with careful protection from destruction of all growing trees. By this means in other countries lands •have been continuously preserved under forest, and are annually yielding revenue from the trees which gradually in eacfii series of years become fit for timber purposes. It will be advisable in certain areas to establish State sawmills to give full effect to this policy, notably in the case of the Waipoua State Kauri Forest, and also in areas reserved iff: railway supplies. The average annual cost of nurseries and plantations on vacant areas for the five years ended 31st March, 1918, has been £?.8,515; or, if the expenditure on indigenous forests be included, the average is £31,937; while the revenue from all sources has not exceeded an average of £14,104. The deficiency has been provided from loan-moneys and transI fers from the Lands and Survey vote. The last loan of £50,000 was raised under the Finance Act of 191 G. All loan authorities and grants from the Consolidated Fund for forest purposes are now exhausted, and the Forestry Branch of the Land 3 Department is not only without funds, but lias been compelled to encroach upon the vote for ot'her lands purposes to prevent the closingdown of the various plantations. I propose that authority be granted this session for a ce™ loan of £200,000 to provide funds for forestry and afforestation purposes for a considerable period. Revenue can only be derived from milling licenses and sales of timber, and it is obviously undesirable c.t present to seek increased revenue from those sources. The grant proposed from the Consolidated Fund for tviis year will be the same as voted in the year 1017-18 — viz., £5,000. During Uio Ave years ended 31st March, 1018, the sum of £24,250 was transferred from the Consolidated Fund (Lands and Survey vote) to supplement State forest funds, and during this year

£O.OOO has been so transferred owing to | the loan authority having bscome ex- ! hausted.