PARLIAMENTARY.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1880, 1 August 1874, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

(Per Anglo-Australian Telegraph Pres3 Agency.) «- LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wellington, Friday, 8 p.m. CONSTITUTION ACT AMENDMENT. The Hon. Dr. Pollen briefly moved the second reading of the Constitution Act Amendment Bill. The Hon. Colonel Kenny then moved that the bill be referred to a select committee, which was negatived. The Hon. Bobert Campbell moved that the bill be read that day six months, Debate proceeding. HOUSE,OF REPEESENTATIVES. Wellington, Friday, 1 p.m. THE LICENSING BILL. After the meeting of the House to-day, Mr Bunny presented a petition from over 1,500 male inhabitants of Wellington praying that the Amending Licensing Bill introduced by the Premier, may be passed without any material alteration. Mr Fox presented a petition signed by the chairman of a public meeting held at Christchurch praying that the existing licensing law be maintained in its integrity. LEAVE OF ABSENCE. Major Atkinson received leave of absence for ton days. A COMPLAINT FBOM EDEN. Upon the House meeting to-night, Mr Eeader Wood reiterated his statement that Mr Creighton's constituents wanted him to resign, and said he made the statement upon the authority of the gentlemen who proposed and seconded Mr Creighton at bis election. IIIPBISONMENT FOB DEBT ABOLITION BILL. In committee the Premier moved the introduction of several new clauses _ in the Imprisonment for Debt Abolition Bill providing the power of committal for nonpayment in certain cases; that committals may be made to a public prison, and imprisonment not to operate as an extinguishment of the debt. The bill was reported with amendments and passed. FOBESTS BILL. The adjourned debate on the New Zealand Forests Bill then came on. Mr Sheehan said he was convinced the subject was of sufficient importance to justify the great labour bestowed by the Premier during the recess, but he was also convinced there was little chance of the measure becoming law. Bat as to the vast stores of information compiled, ( much of it was utterly useless and worthy of a stone age, compared with the means adopted in this coiony. In the timber work we were ages in advance of the German system. Much needless alarm had been raised about the pernicious effects of clearing forests. France and . Switzerland were once nearly wholly clothed with forests, and since a great portion had been cleared away the climate had been absolutely improved; so it had been in Greece. He doubted much whether the ancient empires once found in the East owed their decline to the denudation of timber. From his per- • gonal observation aud other sources of information he felt bound to say that the estimate submitted of the disappearance of New Zealand forests was much exaggerated. Besides, he thought it almost impossible to conserve native forestsunless they were fenced in, because wherever cattle, sheep, and European grasses found their way the forests gradually decayed. The scheme, moreover, if carried out, would have a most injurious effect upon the settlement of the colony generally, especially upon a large number of people in Auckland, who existed by the export trade of timber, and we should be benefiting America, New Caledonia, and other islands from which timber would be exported to this colony. To show the extent to which the timber trade was carried on in Auckland, he would mention that one million feet were turned out weekly in one mill. _ With regard to the effect of denuding timber upon the climate, he considered tea-tree and other scrub had a worse effect regarding floods than large forest trees had. He agreed that timber should net be'treated as recklessly as had been the case. He was happy to say that in Auckland it was no longer competent for a man to pay £5 and go into the bush and cut what timber he liked. A good deal could be done to prevent the. wanton destruction in other ways. Gum diggers, for instance were in the habit of burning away scrub, and often causing great destruction to forests. He thought the existing highway system might be made available so as to prevent useless destruction in localities where the highway system was in operation, and that was more or leas all over the .polony. It might not be possible to ■ preserve native forests, except in inacces- • sible places, but we might replace them to a great extent by planting American and Australian trees. The establishment of a college for'the study of forestry was far in advance of the requirements of the colony. Looking about the settled parts of the colony, it would be seen that settlers were partially making amends for the native trees they destroyed, by planting other trees. He agreed with the bill so far as it concerned the protection of our forests, but he would reserve the right oi_ opposing many of its clauses. Considering the very large amount of attention the bill had already received throughout tho colony, tho wisest and bost course would bo to accept tho second reading, and after ventilation then bring down a more suitable measure next session. Mr Tribe opposed the bill as unnccen' sary in this colony, where tho ground Was cumbered with timber. Mr Cuthbertaon, while admitting that the country was indebted to tho Premier for bringing the subject forward, tho h t i ta fuller consideration should bereßorvcd for . a future session. Mr Thomson considered tho aubjocf most important. The Waste Lands Board of Otago had recogniscd this, and acted accordingly. The bill was not sucli SS he would have expected as a digest ol a vast store of information on the subject which tho Premier evidently posseßsod, In that reßpect the bill was very ahort. He was doubtful about tho schomo ol new forests. As an experiment, f «fTß'had no objection to seeing a few hun< dred acres planted as a forest, but he failed to see the use of the establishment of a college, and of bringing out two oj three high-salaried gentlemon to teacl forestry. _ He was opposed to mixing q the question of forests with public work: and our national debt, and objected t< the idea of paying off our national deb l out of our forests in twenty years, oi any other period, He doubted, in fact . whether we sh,ould ever pay it off though when population increased the head money might not amount to si maeh. | Mr Carrington) supported the secouc reading, and would suggest tha the matter should not be proceedec with further; that during the, recesf mtj Superifltendbat be communicated

with as to the forests of various provinces, and asked to report, showing by a coloured map the extent of different forests. 1 Mr Bryce, while admitting that the Premier deserved the thanks of the coun. try for the able manner in which he had brought the subject forward, reminded the House that the Timber Floatage Bill Jwas of a very opposite tendency to the Forests Bill, and found its strongest supporter in the present Premier. Much of it was quite inapplicable to the circumstances of our case, and he doubted whether native forests could in all cases be protected. To cut a road through and drain a white pine forest would not save it altogether. He thought the Government too paternal. If it was to people's interest to preserve their forests they would do it. Government should allow private individuals to manage their own affairs. He had no particular wish to oppose the second reading, but would prefer that the matter be left to a future occasion, as the present bill was of no use. _ Mr O'Neill could not agree with that view. He disagreed with tho hon. member for Rodney that Dr. Hector's estimated destruction of timber was overstated, and he was guided by his own personal observation. Go where you would you would see forests littered with waste timber ready for the first fire to sweep all away. The Superintendents had already been applied to for information upon the subject, and all, except the Otaigo Superintendent, failed to give any. No doubt felling forests indiscriminately seriously injured the climate. One valley in France that once supported a population of over twenty thousand, was now a desert of shingle. He was convinced that a large income to the colony could be secured by a judicious management of forests. He hoped the House would second the efforts of the Premier towards the conservation of forests. Mr Gibbs thought it almost impossible to conserve our forests, and while we wanted timber we ought to use what was to our hand instead of importing. He thought the planting of settlements in forests was not the way to conserve them. The only way to secure a future supply of timber was by planting new forests. Mr Wales thought legislation in this direction was immediately required, but it was much better that the subject should be delayed with a view of arranging'that the provinces should assume control of the forests, instead of the colony. A great deal might be done at once in preventing timber from being cut in auy stage of growth except in a proper season of the year.' He was confident the destruction of forests was going on seriously, because he learned that of land which had passed into private hands one quarter of the timber had already been destroyed. So far as he could observe, native forests failed in the way of natural increase by self-sowing. This made it clear that some steps should be taken to stop their rapid decay. Left sitting. .