303 



There are 96,547 acres leased for cutting timber. No trees were 

 planted during the year. No exotics are planted. Free dis- 

 tribution of trees is contemplated in the near future. The supply 

 of growing timber is diminishing. It is added that "there are 

 large areas of forest that have not been reserved, as they are not 

 at present accessible." 



One great cause for the destruction of some of our finest 

 gum trees is for their conversion into sleepers. I suppose that 

 most of the magnificent trees that have been cut down in Claren- 

 don, Blumberg, and Mount Crawford districts have been for 

 this purpose. Mr. Lucas, in his address, to which I have re- 

 ferred, remarked that we were "getting near the end of our 

 tether'' ; and we are now importing sleepers very largely from 

 Western Australia. One is inclined to the opinion that if some 

 suitable substitute for timber sleepers could be found, the remain- 

 ing monarchs of our wood might still be spared. I understand 

 that steel sleepers are being somewhat largely used or experi- 

 mented with, but I am also informed that exhaustive trials in 

 America have demonstrated that the timber sleepers are the only 

 satisfactory kind. In fact, a little over two years ago, one of 

 the largest American railway companies sent its timber expert 

 to Australia to study the culture of our various gums with a view 

 to their being grown in his own country for sleepers. He stated 

 that his company was setting aside the very best land obtainable 

 for this purpose. Our own Conservator tells me that locally- 

 planted Red Gum is not of sufficient age for sleeper-cutting,, al- 

 though we in this State led the way in planting operations. If, 

 therefore, our mature timber is largely exhausted, and many years 

 may elapse before the locally planted is old enough, there seem- 

 ingly must come a time when there will be a gap in the supply, 

 unless one of two things happens — either a suitable substitute 

 be found for timber sleepers, or some artificial treatment of 

 younger wood be discovered to make it as equally serviceable as 

 the naturally-mature timber. 



It is satisfactory to notice that in the last few years the 

 Australian States' Governments seem to be awakening to the need 

 for more attention being paid to the general question of forestry. 

 T^vo or three years ago a Royal Commission was appointed in New 

 South Wales to enquire into the question of the timber supply 

 of that State, and sat for fifteen months. In addition to the 

 7,000,000 acres reserved for forestry purposes, the Commission 

 recommended considerable extensions. In Queensland the State 

 Forests and National Parks Act was assented to on December 14, 

 1906. In Victoria a new Act (Forests Act) was passed in 1907, 

 while in our own State increased grants have been promised by 

 the Government, and just recently an Instructor in Forestry has 

 been appointed. 



There is but one more aspect of the question to which I shall 

 allude. I may call it the moral aspect. Here in Australia the 

 native-born (and the rising generation especially) have been 

 charged with lack of reverence. We have no ancient piles of 

 stone replete with historical interest — the memorial of our coun- 

 try's past; no venerable cathedrals or ruined castles or moss- 

 covered towers. Our highest mountain (Mount Lofty) is but a 

 dwarf compared with its one-time greatness; the waters of our 

 Gulf, which Lord Tennyson says are "barred with purple and gold 

 and dazzling sunlight," beat on our shores 1 in the same rhythmic 

 measure — perchance not higher nor lower than ages since ; our 



