H.—s
28
Past I.
Reports, 1874 Otago.
BUSH in the NORTHERN DISTRICTS which has been DESTROYED by FIRE or CLEARING. (Approximately.) No. 3.
4. There are three saw-mills; one in Maungatua bush, which yields a rent of £10, and two at Waipori bush, from whicb £45 and £50 respectively were derived. 5. There have been twenty-seven sawyers' licenses issued. Nearly all the holders of these licenses, with very few exceptions, have been occupied in splitting fencing. 6. The revenue derived from twenty-seven sawyers' licenses is £135; from twenty-two settlers' fencing and firewood licenses, £55; seventy-nine firewood licenses, £79 ; three saw-mill licenses, 80 : total, £349. 7. The reckless use of timber and fire are the chief causes of the destruction of the bushes. I have heard of men who have entered a bush and felled all the pick of the timber before commencing to split or saw. In many cases more trees have been felled than were required, and of course they were left to decay. When the dry top of a fallen tree is found lying across a track desired to be made, a fire-stick is applied, regardless of consequences. In this way large tracks of valuable bush have been destroyed. 8. Very little indeed has been replaced by planting. 9. I do not know of any timber replaced by planting on public lands. 10. There is no difference in the climate caused by the clearing away of bush in my district worthy of notice, as the bushes are very limited, and in patches, and far apart. There is no doubt that the draining of land and burning off of rough herbage has improved the climate in many localities. 11. I do not think that, for building purposes, fencing, and public works—if other supplies were cut off—there would be more than seven or ten years' supply at the outside. For firewood
District. Public. Private. Total. Otepopo. Otepopo Bush... Block VIII. ... M 15 „ x „ XIII., XIV Kuri Bush 6 70 90 100 100 120 30 106 170 210 30 200 500 200 300 200 Moeraki. Port Moeraki... Blocks I., XI, XII, XIV Block XIII Gorge of Waiheino Puketapu 90 150 180 200 60 50 90 200 180 200 105 45 Eawksbury. Mount Eoyal ... Kennard's Goodwood Matainaca and Tuinai ... Hawksbury Bush Mount Watkins 40 60 50 40 SO 90 100 30 300 80 300 600 80 Waikouaiti. Along the Coast Outside the Hundreds, S.JjWaikouaiti E. ... 400 300 700 North Harbour and Blueskin 10,000 10,000 ("Saddle Hill Dunedin and) Taieri Plain, Mosgiel ... East Taieri. j Silver Stream V Above Lee Stream 50 150 50 150 80 100 80 100 West Taieri. Maungatua Bush, "Woodside Traquair „ Maungatua Gullies Waipori Bush... Eanges South of Waipori 150 50 20 300 70 20 20 60 30 220 70 40 360 30 Maitapapa, Maori Village Moeraki Bush... Kuri Bushes, B.V., including Maori Eeserve Block I Block II 60 20 50 80 20 100 30 20 80 20 160 50 70 3.106 11,965 15,071