C.—l 2.

6

lA. SATBGATisi.

6. Mr. Adams,] Do you think an expert from Home would be able to introduce any fresh methods of any value to us here? —Quite possibly he might, as many trees of value have never been tried here. Ihere are trees in Uganda growing on hills that might be suitable to this country; they are comparatively new to science. An expert in soil chemistry would probably be able to tell us at once that it would be useless to plant certain trees in certain soils. 7. Dr. Cockayne.] What time would an expert who was regulating the whole business of forestry have to analyse soils? —He would be the controlling head, but there would be chemists attached, say,, to the Lands Department, who would report to the head of the Forestry Division, who would then appraise the value of the analyses and apply it to practical use, I know a" little of the training these men undergo at Oxford, where they have specialists in all these departments. 8. You mean that a trained scientific man should be at the head of affairs, and not a gardener? —Quite so. I do not suggest bringing a man from outside if we could get one in the Dominion with the necessary qualifications. 9. Do you think it a fair thing, after large areas of land have been planted for future forests, and some of the present forest country has been set aside as national parks and climatic reserves, that it should be allowed to be filled with deer for the benefit of sport, when there are so many other areas where the deer would do no harm?—l think it is a mistake to allow the deer to roam at will all over the country. 10. Mr. Adams.] Would you be in favour of remitting rates and taxes in the case of any private person planting not less than 5 acres of land? —I would be strongly in favour of doing so. At present, if a man plants his land he is afraid the value will be raised and he will have to pay more taxation. 11. You wish the State to conduct the operations and private individuals to assist? —That is my view. 12. Mr. Clarke ] Would it not be necessary that the whole matter should be under the control of the Government, in order to ensure a national supply, seeing that the time element is so important?— Perhaps so. 13. Would the proposal as to private individuals assisting lead to anything like a national supply that could be depended on ? —No. 14. Mr. Murdoch.) Do you think that the Government in giving trees to settlers ought to exercise some supervision over the planting, and afterwards?—l do not propose that the trees should be - given, but the cost should be kept as low as possible—to near cost price. A settler would never stand the Government stepping in, after he had bought the trees, and telling him he must not touch them. 15. Then it would be no use his planting them? —If he paid a low price for the trees I do not think the Government has any right to say what he should do with them in the future.

William Campbell sworn and examined. (No. 6.) 1. The Chairman.] Do you wish to make a statement to the Commission?— Yes. I am the assistant forester at the Corporation nursery, Dunedin, and I propose to deal with the question of the benefits of forestry from an agricultural point of view. There are tracts of land that should be planted to assist moisture, keeping in view the fact that New Zealand is largely composed of hills and valleys. I have observed that various districts in Otago are falling back in respect to milk-production through the land being laid bare. This country is destined to be the Denmark of the Southern Hemisphere for dairy produce; but various districts I have visited where dairying is carried on give indications that a heavy loss annually occurs through the want of shelter. The Peninsula, Dunedin; a large part of the coast land between Port Chalmers and Oamaru; larjre tracts of land on both sides of the railway between Gore and Morton Mains, and away to the western district, are cases in point. In these places shelter is very necessary, but we have not got it. Thus we have exposure, which affects the cow by inducing consumption, red-water, mammitis; loss of butter-fat, through want of food and water, follows. All this arises through the want of shelter. 2. Are the lands you refer to Crown or private lands? —Private. 3. Have you any suggestion to make as to how they should be afforested? —The high lands should be planted by private individuals. 4. How would you ensure that they should plant them I —By legislation. 4a. Do you think the State should assist the settler in any way in the matter? —Yes, by finding the trees. 5. What about the fencing? —I would protect the plantations with wire netting. 6. Who should pay for it? —I would ask the Government to assist, assuming an expert reported that planting in the locality was necessary. 7. Dr. Cockayne.] Do you consider that changes of climate have come about since the destruction of the forests? —There has been a huge loss of moisture in various parts. 8. Have you any accurate records bearing on the matter, or is your opinion based largely on a general idea derived from your knowledge of this district?—My opinion is derived from information gained through having gone through the districts mentioned. 9. Then it is a general idea rather than a scientific fact?— Yes, but I think it is also scientifically correct. 10. Have you kept exact records of rainfalls?— No. 11. Or the effect of rainfall on the forests? —I have not.