THE WHITE PINE TRADE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 67, 19 March 1917, Page 6

THE WHITE PINE TRADE.

PROPOSE? EXPORT DUTY. CONCILIATION COUNCIL COMMENTS. AGAINST INTERESTS OF TIMBER ] TRADE. The question of the proposal to put _v export duty on white pine was raised at the sitting of the Conciliation Council , this morning in the timber-workers' dispute, by Mr. H. P. Taylor, one of the assessors for the employers. He moved: " That this Conciliation Council now sitting in the timber-workere' dispute, views with alarm the proposed duty an : white pine, and strongly urges that the Government, before giving effect to the proposal, should afford employers and timber werkers an opportunity of submitting their side of the question." Mr. Taylor said as his views upon tlie question had already appeared in ike ' " Auckland Star," there was no need for him to speak upon the matter at length. 1 They were all interested in the timber ', industry, and therefore, knew what would lie the result of putting an export j : duty on white pine. He felt that the sitting of the Council was a good time j to give expression to the views of employers and employees of the timber ' trade upon the matter. Mr. Butler said while he was in abso- ; lute sympathy with the resolution, still j he feared they might hamper the actions of the Beard of Trade if they passed any resolution. That body was inquirmj.-; , | into matters, and perhaps it would be ! better to wait and let the Board run its . course. Mr. Phelan (Union advocate) considered the resolution should be passed. He * pointed out' that the Farmers' Union were pushing for an export duty on white pine, and it -was well the other ! side of the question should be brought forward. It was imperative that butter , should be sent Home from Australia as T j well as New Zealand for the use of the ' troops, and if the export of white pine , : was stopped, what were the Australians . to use in place of it? _ Mr. Ellis said as long as the Austraf liana could get white pine they would not use any other timber, but he had an idea that kahikatea, waß not the, only wood suitable for the purpose. His firm ~ had given the Government quotations , for butter boxes made from about a a dozen timbers as an experiment, but c so far nothing further had been done in j the matter. _ Mr. Harle Giles, Conciliation Comniisy sioner, remarked that if an export duty _ was imposed on white pine, he under- _,'; stood that a lot of men would be thrown ~ out of employment. Mr. Butler said it was certainly in the jj interest of the timber industry that j. white pine should be exported. Many of „ the bushes of the Kauri Timber Comn pany were located where it would only' c j pay to export the timber, and the dee mand in New Zealand would not absorb „ .more than a third of the present output for butter boxes. c Mr. Ellis said there was also the point that the kanikatea occupied land which g -was the best for agricultural purposes d as far as grazing w_us concerned, and the a sooner it was cleared the better. s Mr. Phelan said if a tax was imposed it would mean closing down a. number of mills, md while it was true the men could get other work at present, it would mean their abandoning the homes they had around the mills. Tlie motion was seconded by Mr. Phelan. and carried unanimously.