C.—3

8

The Work Ahead. The completion of the 1935 goal will require during the current year and in the following nine years the planting of over 220,000 acres of commercial plantations. The forming of the 1935 year goal of 300,000 acres of wood-producing plantations may be considered the minimum national requirement, and really is " only a drop in the bucket " when one considers the future needs of the Dominion. This estate can provide only for New Zealand's bare necessities, and takes no heed of her 5,000,000 acres of deteriorating and idle waste lands, which potentially have no equal for the production of wood crops. What means, one asks, then, are there of bringing this potential asset into full use ? Several methods —all practicable, economical, and sure of success — immediately present themselves : — H 1. Formation of community endowment forests by the Forest Service and sale of individual interests therein to the investing public. There is no organization in New Zealand more competent to render this profitable service to the investor than the Forest Service, and, backed by the guarantee of the State, the participant in State forest endowments would be absolutely assured of the safety and efficient management of his investment. Each endowment forest would be under the administration of the Service from seed to sawmill with a definite fixed rotation and realization period. The principle of endowment forests has Dominion-wide application with no limits except that of land availability, and, if one can judge by the investment of the public in the many and diverse private tree-planting company ventures at present offering shares and other rights in New Zealand, the response to State offerings should be a generous one. 2. A policy of free or nominal dedication of waste Crown lands to local-government bodies for timber-crop production is urged. Expert Forest Service supervision supplied at cost should also result in a greater interest in this business by cities, boroughs, counties, Power and Harbour Boards, and others. In this connection the results in forestation effort that have already been secured by three Canterbury local bodies in holding 29,862 acres of forested and forestable lands and planting 11 >375 acres is worthy of note by other local authorities. 3. A policy of long-term leasing of idle and waste Crown lands to individuals and corporations for a nominal rental and a final deferred payment with cumulated interest to time of harvest or on maturity of crop is another method of interest. These and other proposals of a kindred character are worthy of consideration and development with a view to stimulating local and individual interest in the utilization of the Dominion's idle lands for timber-cropping purposes. If national forestry is to march in line with national progress and to carry its full burden other urgent steps for action are now advised. They are — (1.) A safe measure of statutory control of private and public companies organized for treegrowing purposes with a view to adequately protecting the investor against incompetent management and loss. This measure is long overdue. (2.) Review and revision of the Customs import and railway tariffs on foreign-wood goods. (3.) Unification of administration of all governmental forest and timber activities, including administration and management of rights, licenses, concessions, forest lands, and all other kindred reservations in the Forest Service. (4.) The centralization of the statutory administration of the Dominion's wild forest life in the Forest Service. (5.) The early establishment of a forest-products laboratory. (6.) The creation of schools forest endowments.

State Forest Service organized 1921. Exposé of State Plantations established from 1896-1926 and Forest Service Tree-planting Objective to Year 1935.