DEARTH OF TIMBER.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 251, 22 October 1919, Page 7

DEARTH OF TIMBER.

A SERIOUS SHORTAGE. IMPORTANT INDUSTRIES Are.ECTED. An acute shortage of timber is having serious effect at present on the buildng and kindred tradeß. During the urtailment of railway services, the carcity of timber was bad enough to io)d up some important building operaions. With the resumption of normal rain services, matters have not mproved. One well known contractor, a member >f the firm of Messrs. Fletcher Bros., .tated thaL there, were at present no Iry stocks of timber in Auckland, and hat the position generally seemed to be ;etting worse daily. His firm had had irdefit' for half-a-million feet of timber in order for the past six months, but so far had succeeded in getting only 10,000 ft. To relieve the position, one nembcr of the firm had arranged to ibtain _50,000 ft of rimu from Grcynotith, and this was now .o hand, while utitro shipments had also been arranged. But the shortage generally, not in Anckand only, but throughout New Zealand, vvn« increasingly serious. He had been informed that a very prominent pinemilling firm had had instructions from their London headquarters to the effect that if more labour was not forthcoming ;oon. the New Zetland branch would he •losetl down. As a result of the dearth :if dry timber, the joinery and furniture industry was being badly handicapped, us it was impossible to carry out good joinery with wet timber. Mr.'Fletcher staled that the direct cause of the shortage of timber was scarcity of labour. Whatever the reason might be. it was certainly true that iabour was not offering for the timberfelling business. He considered that the only remedy was encouragement of immigration. Another well known Auckland contractor and builder. -Mr. J. T. Julian, was of the opinion chat the timber shortage was a very serious matter. He stated that he considered returned soldiers, who. before the war, had been content lo go bush-whacking, had now taken other work. Others were a little unsettled by their experiences at the war, and ditl not take kindly to bush-fellin* He considered that when the men settled down a little, there would be enougft lauour available to carry on the tim-* trade satisfactorily.