﻿T, 
  Kirk. 
  — 
  On 
  ih 
  Vt'dkation 
  of 
  Xew 
  ZcalanJ. 
  Timbers. 
  450 
  

  

  the 
  utilization 
  of 
  timber, 
  and 
  for 
  wliicli 
  tlio 
  next 
  and 
  succeeding 
  generations 
  

   will 
  suffer, 
  nor 
  yet 
  to 
  that 
  necessary 
  destruction 
  over 
  areas 
  in 
  process 
  of 
  

   settlement, 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  neglect 
  to 
  utilize 
  timbers 
  Avhicli 
  would 
  

   command 
  a 
  constant 
  market 
  at 
  remunerative 
  prices 
  in 
  Britain, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   common 
  use, 
  in 
  the 
  Northern 
  districts 
  at 
  least, 
  of 
  best 
  timber 
  for 
  purposes 
  

   that 
  would 
  be 
  equally 
  well 
  served 
  by 
  timber 
  of 
  an 
  inferior 
  quality. 
  In 
  tlio 
  

   former 
  case 
  the 
  evil 
  is 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  ignorance 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  of 
  wantonnesss. 
  

  

  The 
  magnificent 
  kauri 
  forests 
  of 
  Auckland 
  have 
  often 
  enabled 
  that 
  

   district 
  to 
  pass 
  through 
  periods 
  of 
  difficulties, 
  with 
  comparative 
  case, 
  by 
  

   finding 
  employment 
  for 
  numbers 
  who 
  would 
  otherwise 
  have 
  been 
  destitute. 
  

   But 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  increasing 
  rate 
  of 
  consumption, 
  this 
  source 
  of 
  wealth 
  

   will 
  have 
  become 
  exhausted 
  within 
  thirty 
  years 
  ; 
  the 
  export 
  of 
  kauri 
  will 
  

   havo 
  ceased 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  expiration 
  of 
  that 
  period, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   timber 
  in 
  the 
  colony 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  replaced. 
  The 
  suggestion 
  of 
  any 
  

   means 
  by 
  which 
  this 
  period 
  can 
  be 
  retarded 
  is 
  therefore 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  general 
  

   interest, 
  and 
  from 
  this 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  the 
  utihzation 
  of 
  certain 
  neglected 
  

   timbers, 
  which, 
  although 
  inferior 
  to 
  kauri, 
  arc 
  still 
  valuable 
  for 
  general 
  

   purposes, 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  considerable 
  importance. 
  

  

  Again, 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  neglected 
  timbers 
  of 
  great 
  value 
  for 
  general 
  

   cabinet 
  work, 
  marquetry, 
  or 
  other 
  special 
  purposes, 
  which 
  might 
  assist 
  to 
  

   swell 
  our 
  catalogue 
  of 
  exports, 
  and 
  for 
  which 
  a 
  constant 
  market 
  might 
  ba 
  

   secured. 
  In 
  most 
  cases 
  these 
  timbers 
  have 
  been 
  neglected 
  from 
  simple 
  

   ignorance 
  of 
  their 
  value, 
  but 
  the 
  excessive 
  cost 
  of 
  laud 
  or 
  water 
  carriage 
  to 
  

   the 
  port 
  of 
  shipment 
  has 
  too 
  often 
  proved 
  an 
  insuperable 
  obstacle 
  ; 
  this, 
  

   however, 
  thanks 
  to 
  the 
  public 
  works 
  policy 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  years, 
  is 
  

   being 
  diminished 
  almost 
  month 
  by 
  mouth. 
  The 
  high 
  cost 
  of 
  labour 
  has 
  

   also 
  contributed 
  towards 
  perpetuating 
  the 
  neglect. 
  The 
  owner 
  of 
  a 
  saw- 
  

   mill, 
  after 
  clearing 
  his 
  bush 
  of 
  kauri 
  or 
  other 
  marketable 
  timber, 
  has 
  not 
  

   cared 
  to 
  incur 
  the 
  cost 
  and 
  risk 
  of 
  converting 
  timber 
  of 
  unknown 
  qualities 
  

   and 
  comparatively 
  small 
  dimensions 
  for 
  an 
  uncertain 
  market. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   these 
  timbers 
  when 
  growing 
  are 
  of 
  solitary 
  habit, 
  which 
  to 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   timber 
  merchant 
  would 
  present 
  an 
  increased 
  difficulty. 
  

  

  Although 
  no 
  class 
  in 
  a 
  community 
  can 
  derive 
  benefit 
  from 
  the 
  extension 
  

   of 
  an 
  industry 
  without 
  the 
  community 
  at 
  large 
  benefiting 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  or 
  

   less 
  extent; 
  yet 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  admitted 
  that 
  the 
  small 
  settlers 
  in 
  forest 
  

   districts 
  would 
  benefit 
  more 
  largely 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  class 
  by 
  the 
  utilization 
  

   of 
  these 
  neglected 
  timbers. 
  Commencing 
  with 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  capital, 
  our 
  settlers 
  

   would 
  gladly 
  welcome 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  converting 
  a 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  their 
  

   timber 
  into 
  hard 
  cash 
  instead 
  of 
  ashes, 
  and 
  would 
  thus 
  be 
  enabled 
  to 
  tide 
  

   over 
  the 
  first 
  years 
  on 
  then- 
  land 
  with 
  less 
  difficulty 
  than 
  at 
  present, 
  

  

  