CORRESPONDENCE. WHITE PINE SUPPLIES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 251, 20 October 1916, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

WHITE PINE SUPPLIES.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —In last Thursday's issue, under the heading " White Pine," there ia recorded the gratifying news that those engaged in the butter industry are waking up to the fact that their business, in. common with most other forms of industry, is dependent for successful working on an adequate supply of timber, and as the kahikatea, or so-called white pine, is the timber which is of the most immediate use to the dairy farmer and his export trade, a movement is afoot for the restriction of the export of white pine to Australia, and the consequent saving of the remaining supplies for use within the Dominion, by plating an export duty on such of it as may be sent to the Commonwealth. This proposal is not a new one, but at any rate the alternative imethod suggested by " one of our biggest timber merchants" has at least the merit of novelty. We are told: "Either the price should be raised, or the Government should impose an export duty." But who is to raise the price, and who will get the benefit? It must be evident that unless the timber-getting royalties are increased the extra profit will go only to those sawmillers and exporters who happen to be working this timber, and it must be equally clear that if the royalties are raised the price of timber must also be raised in the Dominion, and we shall thus be imposing the extra tax on our butter export for the benefit of a section of the community. A little consideration "will, I think, show that an export duty as proposed would be useless, if not harmful, for it is practically certain that if we do impose it the Australian Government will immediately retaliate by placing a duty on all hardwood sent to this country. As a matter of fact such a duty has been strongly advocated in parts of the Common weulth for the same purpose as is the moving power in the present " agitation " that is, the conservation of local supplies for local use. Thus the only result of the proposal would be to receive the duty on white pine with one hand and pay out the money as duty on hardwood with the other, with the consequent waste of time, money, and effort involved in the process. There would be the further difficulty of disposing- of such of this timber in New Zealand us is not suitable for butter boxes. An extract from the report of the Royal umber Commission will place this view of the question in a very clear light. In appendix C Xo. 25 the West Coast Timber Trading Company say:—"We would r oint out that until very recently this timber -was practically valueless owing to the very limited demand for it in New Zealand, due to the ravages of the borer, and the very short life of the timber in this damp climate Latterly a demand for a small quantity has arisen for butter boxes,, but this only requires 12in. and 14in. boards, of which the average white pine bush does not produce 40 per cent to meet the severe class.flcation to which it is subjected. Th* leaves 60 per cent, or more than half the log output, on the sawmiller's hands for whicil no market exists in t w ■ , FrODl this - you '"» ** KtH\ lf / t he x ? ale «* *hite pine were restricted to New Zealand, as it would be 'ifV *f l)o, i dut }' Were im P°sed, the price of butter box timber would have U> be raised to such a price as would permit of the offcuts-the 60 per cent referred to f-ieing destroyed. We desire to make the strongest protest against any such ruinous proposal as this suggested export duty would certainly be " This is, as your informant truly save aroused to a proper sense of ite importthe Dominion's needs.—l am, eta, S. I. CLARKE.