C—3

1947 NEW ZEALAND

STATE FOREST SERVICE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF FORESTRY FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1947

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly 'pursuant to Section 64 of the Forests Act, 1921-22

The Director of Forestry to the Hon. the Commissioner op State Forests. London, 12th July, 1947. Sir, — I have the honour to present herewith, pursuant to section 64 of the Forests Act, 1921-22, the annual report of the operations of the State Forest Service for the year ended 31st March, 1947. This report incorporates a very much abridged statement of postwar policy, including a brief review of the first twenty-five years of organized forestry in New Zealand, together with proposals for its future development. Many excellent but necessarily voluminous reports on most aspects of forestry have been prepared by the departmental staff as a basis of review and forward planning. Presenting as they do much fundamental information hitherto unavailable, their publication should be proceeded with as soon as paper and printing facilities will permit. Only by this means can an adequate appreciation of the forestry problem and of its solution be gained by the public. As judged against the background of experience presented to the fifth Empire Forestry Conference by delegates from twenty-six countries, it is clear that while New Zealand has much to learn in forest technique and higher research, its approach to and attack upon the timberproduction problem of the next decade is fundamentally sound. It is bettered by few if by any other countries. This is directly attributable to the intrinsic soundness of the Dominion's general stabilization policy in respect both to wages and to the entire gamut of prices from over-the-counter goods to primary products—including timber—and to property. The inflationary and other undesirable effects of opposite policies in many other countries visited, and as reported upon by delegates and visitors, leave no possible room for doubt as to the basic correctness of the Dominion's economic policy. History will show that, even though