299 



Australian forests might be made to contribute largely to the 

 public revenue without unduly interfering with the progress of 

 settlement. 



Whoever may be responsible for the unsatisfactory position 

 or imperfect knowledge said to exist in the Commonwealth, the 

 blame cannot be laid at the doors of the official heads of the 

 various Forest Departments. I have quoted from the Brisbane 

 Director, and now turn to Victoria. In 1905 and 1906 Mr. A. 

 W. Crooke was the Acting Conservator of Forests in Victoria, 

 and plainer speaking than he gives us can hardly be desired. 

 In his 1905 report he says, on the subject of alienation of 

 forest lands: — "In my last report I put my views on this mat- 

 ter plainly and fully. Suffice it now to say, that the question 

 is one of the gravest importance to the whole State, and that in 

 my opinion the time has arrived when we cannot afford to alien- 

 ate one acre further containing valuable timber. At the very 

 least 10 per cent, of a country should be covered with permanent 

 forest. We have nothing like this. [S.A. much less. — W. H. S.] 

 If any further lands are alienated, those who follow us must in- 

 evitably pay the piper, and bless the present generation when 

 doing so." 



Our own Conservator (Mr. W. Gill), in his report for 1908-9, 

 says: — "The constant demand for timber in all the States is 

 rapidly decimating the forest resources on this continent. The 

 mature timber will soon be exhausted, and when once that is gone, 

 there will be no dodging the consequence. The question how 

 soon can young timber be used must be fared. I feel it my duty 

 in the face of the astonishing rapidity with which timber is 

 everywhere disappearing, to sound a warning note as to the im- 

 perative necessity for finding an answer to the question — What 

 shall we do when all our mature timber is gone?" 



I may mention that in the same report it is stated that dur- 

 ing the year over 9,000 acres ceased to be forest lands, having been 

 let on perpetual leases, and on agreement with covenant to pur- 

 chase. 



If we look at the value of timber imported into Australia, 

 and especially study the rapid increase in the amount for the 

 last two or three years, we must be struck with the significance 

 of the figures. According to the report of the Queensland Direc- 

 tor of Forests, the importation of foreign timber into Australia 

 during the years 1906, 1907, and 1908, was as follows: — 



Imported by. 1906. 1907. 1908. 



£ £ £ 



Victoria ... ... 563,310 628,886 735,353 



New South Wales ... 



South Australia ... 



Western Australia ... 



Tasmania ... 



Queensland 



Total Commonwealth (D £1,329,456 £1,632,493 £1,945,078 



(1) These totals for the Commonwealth agree with those in the "Offi- 

 cial Year B^ok" as regards 1906 and 1907, but in that publication the total 

 value for 1908 is set down as £1,886,302. ^ The difference, £58,776, is ac- 

 counted for bv the fact that certain items, chiefly picture and room 

 mouldings, shafts, poles, and bars, hubs, and veneers, are not included 

 in the "Official Year Book" returns. 



526,413 



652,317 



710,973 



142,834 



228,549 



391,698 



69,678 



89,587 



62,764 



23,959 



22,427 



34,262 



3,262 



10,727 



10,028 



