His Excellency Lord Bledisloe loses no opportunity of expressing his keen admiration of New Zealand's varied forests, and of urging on the people the necessity for taking care of the unique flora of the country. In common with all other discerning visitors and sojourners with us, he laments the needless and foolish destruction of the native bush.

Of course, in our early days the forests were regarded as practically illimitable; the bush was to the settler a nuisance, to be got rid of as soon as possible. That feeling has given place to a more intelligent appreciation of the value of our bush.

Yet the old craze for hacking and burning has not yet passed. Native forest growth is being destroyed waste-fully and improvidently in many parts of this island, in the belief that grass will more profitably take its place. We have seen the folly of that practice in a great many districts, where land that was cleared by settlers has only too often reverted to second growth and formed a breeding place for noxious weeds. The time has long passed for the clearing of rough native forest land for settlement. It is an economic mistake, apart from any other consideration. Yet rugged hill country, where the forest is needed as a protection for river sources and water supply, is still being stripped of its woodland covering.