QUEENSLAND. 129 



trade is against Australasia, as the following table will 

 show : — 



Annual Net Imports and Exports of Australasia. 

 Average of the Years 1900—1903. 



New South Wales. 



Victoria 



South Australia . 



Queensland 



Western Australia 



Tasmania ... 



New Zealand 



Total 



Annual net imports of timber, £'566,000. 



There is an export of bark for tanning valued at £'59,940 

 a year. The annual exports of Kauri gum from New Zealand 

 are valued at £530,310. 



No doubt, the requirements of timber will increase as time 

 goes on. The population has during the last twenty years 

 increased from two and three-quarter millions to four 

 and a half millions ; the length of railways from 5,000 to 

 15,500 miles ; the telegraph lines have now a length of 

 52,000 miles. The land under cultivation was four and a 

 half million acres in 1885 ; it is now seven million acres. 

 Under these circumstances, efficient forest conservancy seems 

 urgently called for, and it will be interesting to see what 

 has been done in the past, 



Queensland. — Under the Land Act of 1897 the Governor 

 in Council can reserve lands and issue regulations regarding 

 licences to cut timber ; a minimum girth of tree to be cut is 

 fixed for cedar, kauri and hoop pine; as regards the rest 

 cutting is unrestricted. Out of the forty million acres of 



M.F. K 



