530 The JotiTnal of Forestry. 



In New Zealand, a colony of comparatively recent origin, and in a 

 natural state possessed of a large extent of splendid timber forest, it 

 has of late begun to be felt that the indiscriminate clearing of the 

 forest land by the settlers was tending to the deterioration and uncer- 

 tainty of the climate and water supply, and considerably affecting the 

 price and supply of timber for constructive purposes in the neighbour- 

 hood of the larger towns and in the earlier settled districts, and fears 

 were freely expressed by those who were best able to judge, that if 

 such a state of matters were allowed to go on much longer it would 

 quickly ruin the hitherto wonderful prosperity of this young and 

 enterprising colony.^ The Colonial Government, with a wisdom and 

 foresight that might be profitably followed nearer home, at once took 

 the matter in hand, and under the able direction of the late Premier 

 of the Colonial Parliament, Sir Julius Vogel, immediately set about 

 devising means for efficiently grappling with the difficulty. With 

 that object in view they applied for advice and assistance wherever 

 the best of either could be found ; and through the courtesy of the 

 Indian Government they were able to secure the valuable services of 

 Captain Campbell Walker, of the Indian Forest Department, a gentle- 

 man of wide experience, and thoroughly versed in all branches of 

 forestry, and under whose direction the forests of the colony are cer- 

 tain to be put upon a proper system of management, and in the course 

 of a few years become a prolific source of revenue to the colonial 

 exchequer. 



It is little more than a year ago since Captain C. Walker arrived 

 in the colony, and his plans for the future conservation of the forests 

 can hardly yet be fully matured, but we see by our New Zealand 

 exchanges that he is doing excellent preliminary work in inspecting 

 the existing forests, surveying districts likely to require afforestment, 

 and by reports and lectures enlightening the people upon the nature 

 of State Forestry, and the extent to which it can be adopted and pro- 

 fitably carried out in the colony. In speaking of the system of 

 management which he proposes for the existing forests, he says, 

 " That I have formed a high opinion of the New Zealand forests, and 

 I think, if the public will permit us, we shall make a very valuable 

 property of what we reserve, and secure a fair and steadily increasing 

 revenue from what we dispose of. It has been argued by some that 

 the £10,000 per annum appropriated under the existing ' State Forest 

 Act ' is inadequate for planting purposes, and that as the colony cannot 

 afford to supplement it, or even to spend that sum, the whole thing 

 had better be dropped. Now I am very glad to have the £10,000 ap- 

 propriated for the first few years as a reserve fund to draw upon, but I 

 do not intend to trench much upon it, and any scheme I may bring for- 

 ward will be based on the principle that the forest department should be 



