15

C.—3

3. MANAGEMENT. Timber. A new record was reached in the year in timber-sale receipts and in the quantity of ripe-condition timber cut from State forests. The sum of £134,731 was received in sales, the largest amount by many thousands from the exploitation of State stuinpage, while 102,369,900 ft. board measure were produced from mills cutting State forest timber.

These facts demonstrate more than anything else the steadily increasing popular interest in the Forest Service timber-sale practice of offering to bona fide millers parcels of exploitable and accessible timber for immediate manufacture. The obvious advantages to sawmillers of being able to pay for the raw material as it .is cut and sold is apparent to all, and more particularly to the smaller operators for whom the Service is especially catering. Keen competition is in evidence for the Service offerings generally throughout the Dominion, and in several regions new price-levels were reached for particularly accessible blocks (the Auckland Main Trunk and Westland regions). The Westland region has again set itself a new record in the total forest produce manufactured— namely, 73,137,938 ft. board measure, as compared with 62,211,638 ft. b.m. for the year 1923-24, and 46,080,983 ft. b.m. in the year 1922-23. The sawn-timber-producing centres in the North Island are gradually lessening in importance, as virgin supplies are disappearing and becoming more inaccessible there.

Statistics of the Service Timber-sales for the Year ending 31st March, 1925. Quantities shown in Superficial Feet.

Extraordinary interest was evidenced during the year by co-operative dairy manufacturers as to the remaining supplies of white-pine, and every sale offering of any considerable volume was eagerly competed for by millers. It is a curious fact that whilst 1,213,354 ft. board measure of spruce and hemlock butter-box shooks, or 340,698 boxes, were imported from Sweden, United States of America, and Canada into New Zealand, the Australian purchases of our white-pine have been sustained on new high price-levels. The Australian manufacturer apparently appreciates the fine quality of this timber to a greater extent than our own producers. Forest-improvements . Greater progress under this head is recorded for the past year. The erection of two rangers' stations, one nurseryman's cottage, and one forest guard's station was completed or undertaken, and two cottages were relined and reroofed. (It is to be noted that the policy of the Service is to provide reasonable accommodation for its forest officers at outlying stations and where it is not possible for them to secure housing-accommodation in villages and elsewhere.) One patrol cabin was erected in the Mamaku patrol district. Fourteen miles of forest telephone-line were erected. Twenty miles of new forest tracks were formed and lengths of old track repaired. Other new works constructed include 100 chains of first-class road, fifty-three miles of fire-break in plantations, three fire-tool depots in plantations (complete with fire-fighting tools), and a wire suspension bridge giving access to an important State forest.

flWal Yoir Number of Value of Timber Quantity of ! Receipts from .Quantity cut from iiscal Year. Saies. sold. Timber sold. Timber sold. State Forests during the Year. £ Sup. Ft. | £ Sup. Ft. 1924-25 .. .. 54 96,158 69,253,000 134,731* 102,369 900 1923-24 .. .. 61 266,388 212,085,000 68,295 52,297,000 1922-23 .. .. 52 95,357 78,830,000 47,462 1921-22 " .. 40 38,208 35,669,000 24,320 1920-21 .. .. 5 17,055 6,987,000 16,815 * Includes receipts from State forests, including national-endowment credits.