31

C—Ba

C. Current Oi'Kkation, Management, and Administration. The funds for this work should be met entirely out of current forest revenue. An active policy of forest-utilization, closer administration, supervision, and a welLguard.ed timber-sale policy will result in an immediate increase, in, forest revenue, and, while the cost of this Service must increase as the volume of that work increases, there is abundant indication that this cost will constitute a smaller and smaller percentage of the total yielded by the Forest Service. (The creation of a Forest Service should not result in increasing the drain on the Public Treasury.) The following organization, and expenditure per year, is suggested : — (I.) Central executive office at Wellington : — n y Director, Secretary, Chief Inspector, Technical Officers, Surveyors, clerical, and £ office ... ... ... ... ... ...' ... ] 0,000 (2.) Conservation regions : — (a.) Auckland (Ist) — Conservator, Warden, Rangers, guards, and clerioal ... ... ... 5,000 (6.) Rotorua (2nd)— Conservator, Warden, guards, plantation maintenance, &o. ... ... 8,000 (c.) Wellington and Hawke's Bay (3rd) — Conservator, Warden, Rangers, guards, clerical, and office ... ... 8,500 (d.) Nelson (4th)— Conservator, Ranger, guards, clerical, and office ... ... ... '1,000 (c.) Westland (sth)— Conservator, Warden, Rangers, guards, clerical, and office ... ... 5,500 (/.) Canterbury and Otago (Tapanui —6th) — Conservator, Warden, Ranger, plantation maintenance, &<•■■ ... ... 8,000 (//.) Southland (7th) — Conservator, Ranger, guards, clerical, and office ... ... ... 4,000 Total ... ... ... ... ... ... £53,000 Summary. £ A. Development Fund to be secured by debenture issue ... ... 872,300 B. Special projects during the five-year development period... ... 47,000 C. Current management and operation per year ... ... ... 53,000 These commitments may appear large and out of all reason, but they must be seriously considered if the forest needs of New 'Zealand are to be successfully assured. Salaries. Experience teaches that nothing has a closer and more direct bearing on State-forest administration than the degree of trained intelligence, resourcefulness, initiative, and esprit de corps possessed by the forest officers. If men of the right type, training, ability, and experience are to be attracted and held the salaries paid must, at all times be commensurate with the value and, responsibility of their work. Technical and administrative ability, as shown by results, must be paid for. Success will be secured by a well-paid personnel : failure will result from an incompetent, poorly-paid force. The writer recommends the following salaries as a basis : — _ , Minimum Salary. Maximum Salary Category. £ £ Director ... ... ... ... ... ... 1.000 Inspector-General ... ... ... ... 825 925 Secretary ... ... ... ... ... ... 600 800 Chief Ins]lector ... ... ... 600 800 Conservator, A category ... ... ... 700 775 Conservator, B category ... ... ... ... 600 675 Warden, A category ... ... ... ... 475 540 Warden, B category ... ... ... ... 425 465 Forest Assistants ... ..." ... ... 325 400 Ranger, A category ... ... ... ... 350 410 Ranger, B category ... ... ... ... 320 345 Guards ... ... ... ... ... ... 250 310 /.labourers, &c, at ruling rates. Records Division : Clerical staff, accountants, (fee., as per Public Service Commission Regulations. Lands surveys: Chief Surveyor, &c., in accordance with the Lands and Survey Depart incut standard. Technical specialists, &c. : Each case on its merits. Acquisition of Forest and Forest Lands. Your investigator has suggested the allocation of ,£200,000 from the Development Fund foi the acquisition of forests and forest land. There arc many State-forest properties which for the purposes of efficient management on a sustained-yield basis should be rounded out and consolidated by the purchase and absorption of contiguous forest areas. There are also other very desirable forest lands —for instance, in