1.—12.

34

[E. P. TURNER.

in charge of the Department, is fully alive to the importance of forestry, and he will carry out the best methods as far as he is able to. We shall have to increase our staff and engage special men to carry out the demarcation, to ascertain whether the wood is suitable for the production of alcohol, and to deal with other questions. We are planting at the rate of £2,700 a year in the North and South Islands, and the chief trees we are planting are the Corsican pine, the Western yellow-pine, the Douglas fir, and the Pinus insignis. These are all very valuable timbers. There are forestry regulations in existence, but they require enforcing and in some respects amplifying. Fire is the greatest danger we have. 9. To Mr. Hudson.] I know that Japanese oak comes here and is sold as American oak, to which it is inferior. 10. To Mr. Hornsby.] Up to the present we have over twenty thousand trees planted round Rotorua. The district has proved particularly suitable for tree-growth. The country round Taupo is equally suitable. In regard to the treeless parts of Otago, we are not planting so largely in the South Island as in the North Island. We have planted in the vicinity of Naseby and Ranfurly a few hundred acres, but in Otago generally there is not much planted. There are about 800 acres planted at Dusky Hill, and, I think, over 2,000 acres at Conical Hills. We have a reserve of 5,000 acres for planting at Greenvale. As to planting in the arid districts of Central Otago, although trees may grow there the conditions are adverse to the growth of trees for commercial purposes. The fact that trees do not exist in Otago Central shows that it is not very suitable for tree-growth. 11. To Dr. A. K. Newman.] Statistics show that in spite of all the substitutes which have been discovered the consumption of timber is being maintained all over the world. The use of timber and all its derivatives —such as paper-pulp and other things—is increasing very largely all over the world. The use of timber may be ousted in one direction, but it comes in in another. Many articles in ordinary use are made from wood-pulp. Silk is very largely made from visco, which is got from wood-pulp. It has been used for string and in the manufacture of linoleum. And the little vessels you see used for holding cream, and many other articles, are made from wood-pulp. Western American spruce is used in connection with the manufacture of aeroplanes. 12. To Mr. Veitch.] We issue young trees from the Government plantations to the farmers at practically cost price in order to encourage them to plant shelter-trees. Last year we issued over three hundred thousand trees to farmers. We advertise the conditions in the Journal of the Department of Agriculture, which is a very valuable publication, and I think every farmer ought to get it, At Kaingaroa we arc planting belts of different kinds of forest-trees, leaving intervals of land for farming purposes. Thirty thousand trees have been planted in that area. The trees are being planted where the land is easy—not broken—land which can be easily kept under grass. Our Nursery-managers say that the wind is the most adverse factor that has to be dealt with. These belts of trees will afford shelter. 13. To Mr. Graigie.] We have not any exact records of the forest area in New Zealand, nor is there reliable information as to the area of forest that exists carrying commercial timber. Without that information it is impossible to say how long our forests and the commercial timber in those forests will last. We have, however, obtained a rough idea of it, and that information has been supplied to the Minister, but I could not say offhand what it is. I may say, however, that it is less than is generally supposed—that is, the area of what may be considered commercial forests. The Commissioners of Crown Lands have reported that the timber forests in the different districts are giving out, except in Westland, and there it is estimated that at the present rate of consumption, and under the present methods of treatment, the forest there will only last another thirty years, but does not take into consideration the fact of the increased demand caused by the depletion of the timber in other districts. I may say that I have not admitted that they will be exhausted in that time, because I say that the new system of planting and treatment of forests will result in lengthening our supplies of forest timber. Ido not think it will pay to plant any of our native trees in open areas as we are planting foreign trees. The rate of growth of our native trees has never been properly established—it has only been guessed at; but the little work that has been done in that direction goes to show that the rate of growth is quicker than is generally supposed. I think the rate of growth of the kauri has been pretty generally ascertained. I think it would pay to plant kauri in kauri districts, and possibly it would also pay to plant totara. The method of dealing with these forests would not be so much a question of planting as to arrange that only trees of a certain diameter shall be cut out, and that the trees under that diameter shall be left until they have attained the required size. Mr. Cheeseman, of Auckland, has made the most systematic investigation into the question of the rate of growth of the kauri. Speaking generally, although some very interesting data has been gathered in regard to the question of the growth of our native trees, such information can only be taken as an indication, and not, as absolute information. The rate of growth of the kauri appears to be about 37 years to 1 in. diameter—that is, according to Mr. Cheeeeman's investigations, and he has measured the cross-sections of thirty or forty trees, I think. That shows that the kauri, at any rate, is not by any means a slow-growing tree; in fact, this table which I have shows that its rate of growth is nearly double as fast as the spruce-tree. Whatever may be said about other trees, I think we may take it that it certainly will pay to regenerate kauri forests, and I think you might include totara, 14. To Mr. Sidey.] As far as scientific investigation goes, it has not been proved that trees increased the precipitation of rain. I think the greatest height at which trees are being planted now is some 1.600 ft., on the Kaingaroa Plateau. 15. To the Chairman.] The Forestry Commission in 1913 obtained information with respect to the utilization of Pinus insignis for butter-boxes. I could not say whether further experiments have been made to "determine that question. _ The specimen of that timber which T have here has