4 The N.Z. Journal of Science and Technology. [Feb. 
14*9 years, and karri ( Euc . diversicolor ), the fastest grower of Western 
Australia, takes 16-6 years. 
The paper concludes with a diagram founded on the lists. The exact 
value of the lists and diagram, however, are of little consequence to the 
main issue, which may be stated thus :— 
(1.) The five chief native timber-trees of New Zealand in their forests 
grow faster than the five chief timber-trees of Europe in their forests. 
(2.) Certain introduced trees (macrocarpa cypress, insignis and two or 
three other pines, and five or six choice eucalypts) have been growing well in 
New Zealand (and *so far without serious disease) for over half a century ; 
these as individual trees certainly grow faster than the native trees, and in 
dense forest grow faster at first than the native trees. This, I think, is 
substantially what Mr. Maxwell wishes to prove, and on this he concludes 
“ it would be an utterly hopeless undertaking to attempt to provide even a small 
portion of our future needs in timber by growing native trees.” This state¬ 
ment rather begs the question, because it is not man that grows the native 
trees, but a singularly bountiful Nature ; and as long as there are no costs 
of planting plus interest on the native trees, it does not much matter if 
they do take considerably longer to produce their timber than costly and 
doubtful exotics. 
Mr. Maxwell is an enthusiastic planter—would that there were more 
like him in New Zealand ! If there were, New Zealand might not be losing 
between £1,000,000 and £2,000,000 a year over indiscriminate forest alien¬ 
ation. It is not criticism that scientific forestry has to fear in New 
Zealand, but apathy ! 
Nevertheless, enthusiasm must be tempered with cold facts. Thus, if 
New Zealand had its normal forest area of 16,000,000 acres to plant up , 
this, at the actual cost of the Government timber plantations in the past, 
would mean an expenditure of 16,000,000 acres multiplied by £65 (actual 
cost plus interest) = £1,040,000,000 : say, the cost of a dozen wars like 
the last ! 
If New Zealand had the normal forest area of the wealthiest and most 
populous part of the world—central Europe—25 per cent, of the total land 
area would be under forest—viz., an area of 16,000,000 acres. With so 
much mountain ground, and further areas of poor soil, particularly sand- 
drifts and river-beds, together with those areas, such as the west coast of 
the South Island, where the climate makes forestry easily the most pro¬ 
ductive crop, it is unlikely that the considered forest policy of New 
Zealand will embrace a less area than 16,000,000 acres. Japan, with a 
mountainous country like New Zealand, has resolved on a forest area of 
65 per cent, of its total area, and to achieve this is planting up at an 
incredible rate. 
Unfortunately for timber-planting in New Zealand, the ever-increasing 
cost of labour is making timber plantations almost impossible financially. 
The actual cost of the Government timber plantations has been £13 per 
acre. There are deductions and additions to this figure for better-organized 
work, but one may take £13 as an all-round figure. The average maturity- 
age will be not less than 40 years : £1 at 4 per cent, interest for 40 
years becomes nearly £5 : so that £13 X 5 = £65, the cost per acre with 
interest of the Government plantations. Over £2,000,000 has been sunk on 
the Government timber plantations to date. 
