RELATIONSHIP OF THE STATE TO THE FORESTS. 263 



plantations and imports, at any rate for some time to come. 

 The main classes of timber required at present and in the 

 immediate future are : — 



(a) Coniferous timbers for building and general purposes. 



(6) Hardwoods (Eucalypts) for all purposes where stronger and 



more durable timber is required, 

 (c) Timber for the carriage of agricultural and other produce 



(butter boxes, &c.), for wood pulp, &c. 

 For the supply of such material the unreserved indigenous 

 forests are arranged in classes according to the degree of their 

 fitness for immediate or future milhng. What is not obtained in 

 this way is imported, conifers from America and the Baltic, and 

 Eucalypts from AustraUa. As to the questions of replacing what 

 has been cut, and making the country independent of outside 

 supplies, the opinion is held in New Zealand that the indigenous 

 species are too slow-growing to invest any money on their repro- 

 duction. Instead of that, the planting of exotic species was 

 started some 25 years ago. It has been estimated that, to provide 

 for future requirements, it will be necessary to plant an area of 

 700,000 acres. Of that, about 35,444 acres had been planted by 

 1919 by the State. In addition, a considerable area has been 

 planted by private proprietors. Since some 50 years ago the 

 Government has encouraged private planting, but already, in 

 1896, it became evident that State planting must be started if the 

 programme was to be carried out. It is evident that State action 

 must be considerably speeded up if 700,000 acres of plantations 

 are to be established within a reasonable number of years. 

 Before the war the cost of planting, including nursery work, came 

 to about £8 per acre, but it is now very considerably higher. 



The Forest Authority. — The Ministerial head of the Department 

 is the Commissioner of State Forests, under whom the Superin- 

 tendents of Nurseries and Plantations worked since the commence- 

 ment of the operations in 1896. Owing to the rapidly dwindling 

 forest resources, a separate Department of Forestry was at last 

 estabhshed in 1919, and placed under a Director of Forestry, who 

 will have the assistance of Research officers. Inspectors and other 

 staff, the whole being under the Commissioner of State Forests 

 as before. 



Education and Research. — Nothing seems to have been done so 



