44 EXPLOITATION OF PLANTS 
For purposes of protection against erosion and 
denudation, forests are also of the greatest utility. 
Without labouring the theme, it will be realised that 
apart from the value to the nation of sufficient home- 
grown timber, the forests that produced that timber 
would subserve national interests of the first importance. 
In spite, however, of the undoubted value of forests 
to this country, it cannot be said that in the past they 
have, generally speaking, been a success, either from 
the financial aspect ‘or from the point of view of the 
timber produced. 
I propose, therefore, even at the risk of recapitulating 
much that has already been said or written elsewhere, 
briefly to review what are probably the chief causes 
which have led to failure in so many cases. 
There are certain factors which materially affect the 
financial aspect of timber production, and which are 
more or less external though none the less fundamental, 
Such are cost of labour, cost of transport, and foreign 
competition. 
These are matters with which I have no special 
qualification for dealing, but in reference to foreign 
competition it cannot be too often urged that timber 
producers in this country undoubtedly labour under 
a great disadvantage. Evidence brought before the 
Royal Commission in 1908 showed that in effect there 
is a preferential tariff for the carriage of imported 
timber. The extent of this has sometimes been exag- 
gerated, but it undoubtedly operates very adversely 
against the home production of unconverted timber 
such as pitwood, scaffold poles, etc. 
A still more serious consideration is that in effect 
