C—4.

Otago is the least-provided district so far as milling-timber is concerned : barely 1| per cent, of its area is known to be under forest, and, of this, a large portion is situated in the far-western part of Otago, and is practically useless at the present time owing to its comparative inaccessibility and distance from a market. The estimated amount of milling-timber on Crown and private lands available for sawmilling is only 581,000,000 sup ft., chiefly composed of rimu, amounting to four-fifths of the total quantity ; the remainder being mostly matai and beeches. The only large forest now used for sawmilling is in the Catlin's District, between Molyneux and Waikawa, and consequently the greater part of the timber used in Dunediu comes-from Southland. There is another sawmilling bush at Rankleburn, but its timber is all consumed locally. One of the recent results of this scarcity of locally grown timber is the increasing import of Oregon pine in long lengths. There is a very large quantity of kamahi in the Catlin's District, and this timber has hitherto not only been useless from a commercial point of view, but has been a decided hindrance to the settler and sawmiller. Experiment has proved it useless for building purposes, and the only use it has been put to successfully is as mining props. For this purpose there is only a very small demand. It is possible, however, that it might be a suitable timber for wood-pulp for paper-making purposes. The remaining district in New Zealand is that of Southland, where over two million acres of land are covered with bush. An estimate of the milling-timber thereon shows, — Sup. ft. On Crown land and State forests .. .. .. .. 354,000,000 On Sounds National Park .. .. .. .. .. 610,000,000 On private lands .. .. .. .. .. .. 330,000,000 1,294,000,000 However, as over 800,000 acres of the forest land is within the Sounds National Park, and a large portion of the remainder is very rough and almost inaccessible country, it will be seen that much of the timber cannot be utilised for commercial purposes. The quantity of timber in the district in 1907 was estimated at 661,000,000 sup. ft. This estimate did not take into account the timber within the Sounds National Park and a large area in its vicinity, and therefore, although the present estimate of milling-timber on all classes of land is 1,294,000,000 sup. ft., yet that growing on Crown and private lands is only 684,000,000 sup. ft., and of this the total quantity that it will pay the sawmiller to work during the next decade will probably not be more than 384,000,000 sup. ft., the other 300,000,000 sup. ft. being further available after that period. About one-third of the milling-timber is rimu, and about the same quantity of beech is now available for sawmilling, whilst kahikatea is next in order of importance, and then come matai and totara. The quality of the timber, however, does not seem so good as in other districts. It is most noticeable how tawhai (silver-beech) has come into general use for furniture-making, &c. At the present time probably 75 per cent, of the timber cut in Southland is exported out of the district into other parts of New Zealand and to Australia. It is thought that the timber industry in 'Southland will continue as it now is for some years to come, and, judging from the present estimated output of about 40,000,000 sup. ft. per annum from about sixty-two mills, it seems probable that, with the increased use of beech for milling purposes, the timber industry of Southland has a certain life of about twenty-five years, though perhaps with a smaller output, whilst after that time it will continue on a much-diminished basis. It has been the custom to under, rather than over, estimate the quantities of timber, owing to the large tracts of unexplored timbered country in the western part of the district, 'which probably carries very much more sawmilling timber than has been supposed. Recent explorations west of the Waiau point to this conclusion, and the above period of twenty-five years is reckoned on this supposition being corroborated, and on the fact that, with the growing dearth of timber, trees not now milled will be utilised later on. LIST OF INDIGENOUS TREES OF NEW ZEALAND. 1. Timbers of Great Durability and Large Dimensions, suitable for Constructive Works, House-building, or for Special Purposes. 1. Kauri (Agathis australis).* 13. Tawhai rauriki, entire-leaved beech (Fagus 2. Totara (Podocarpus Solandri). 3. Totara-kiri-kotukutuku (Podocarpus Hallii). 14. Tawhai (Fagus apiculata). 4. Matai (Podocarpus spicatus).% 15. Tawhai, Blair's beech (Fagus Blairii). 5. Kawaka (Libocedrus Doniana). 16. Maire raunui (Olea Cunninghamii). 6. Pahautea, or cedar (Libocedrus Bidwillii). 17. Maire (Olea lanceolata). 7. Northern manoao (Dacrydium Kirkii). 18. Narrow-leaved maire (Olea montana). 8. Southern manoao (Dacrydium biforme). 19. The Northern rata (Metrosideros robusta).§ 9. Westland pine (Dacrydium Colensoi). 20. The Southern rata (Metrosideros lucida). 10. Yellow silver-pine (Dacrydium intermedium). 21. Pohutukawa (Metrosideros tomentosa).\\ 11. Puriri (Vitex lucens).~f 22. Manuka rauriki (Leptospermum ericoides).^ 12. Tawhai raunui, tooth-leaved beech (Fagus 23. Maire tawhake (Eugenia maire). fusca). 24. Kowhai (Sophora tetraptera).**

* Vide photo opposite pp. 16, 17. t Vide photo opposite p. 41. J Vide photos opposite p. 57. § Vide photo opposite p. 40. || Vide photo opposite!p. 56. \ Vide photo opposite p. 48. ** Vide photo opposite p. 49.

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