FOREST CONSERVATION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1836, 3 January 1889, Page 4

FOREST CONSERVATION.

What may be accomplished (says the Age) in the way of forest conservation by a non-political authority is shown by the recent experience of South Australia. According to the annual report of the Conservator of Forests for that colony, the total expenditure of the department last year was £7202 19s, and the revenue was £12,080 7a Id, leaving a credit balance of £1317 8s Id. Daring the last 12 years the total expenditure has been £72,3-12 17s lid/ and the revenue £Bl,llO 10s Bd. The department has thus not only been selfsupporting, but it has added nearly £IO,OOO to the general revenue of the colony, and has permanently improved the public estate to the extent of no less than £193,000. There are at least 800,000 trees in various plantations from (5 to 12 years of age, which are valued at the average of 2s 01 each, although some of them could be sold at six times the amount. There are 1,000,000, trees between three and six years of age, these being v,'ilued at Is and Is 0d each. No credit is taken in the balance sheet for the sclfsown timber which is growing up in the forests under the care and protection of the board, although there are

2,000,000 of such trees, which have been dealt with in a simple and inex* pensive fashion. One of the merits of the South Australian system is that it has imbued the population with a taste for tree planting by the gratitous distribution of young trees to farmers and others. No less than 280,000 were thus given away last year, and it is calculated that there no less than 700,000 living trees in the colony which private persons have been induced to plant. The cost of these to the G-overnment was only a fraction over a farthing each.