AMERICAN TIMBER.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 292, 7 December 1920, Page 7

AMERICAN TIMBER.

NEW ZEALANDER'S IMPRESSIONS. . A DROP IN THE MARKET. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON, this day. i A Wellington business man, t Mr. C. Odlin, who is connected with the timber trade, has returned from a trip to America with a number of interesting points for New Zealand timber users, iHe says that enterprising Americans I have now control oveT the majority ot I the Canadian mills. In June and July jthis year th-e lumber trade was buoyant, due to the vast demands from the Easi. largely from China and Japan, but in September the bottom began to fall out jot the market, and many of the big mills [closed down. The object of this seemed to be to restrict trade and hold up prices I rather than to go on cutting to brim? I down prices. Some of the mills which: [ceased operations were cutting aa much las from 500.000 ft to (500,000 ft a day, 'employing abuut 300 hands. A number! 'of men were thrown out of employment, i (Labour conditions were so vastly differ- ! ent there from here that such tri!le« as ! jthat wouW not be felt, the men would! imove out east to <be absorbed in manufacturing industries there.

I Prices came down towards the end of j j September, but the shortage of shipping , I made it difficult to take advaJitag-e of j I this. As far as New Zpaland and Aus-! jtralia were coia-erned there were prac-I Itioally no ship? available. Mr. Odlin I 'secured the Union Company's chartered j I vessel Rona for a carpri. but this boat i ! woe held up at San Francisco by a. strike nf the seamen refuwns to "ail unless they received an a-dditional 25 per cent. . in wasres because of the -benzine being ! carried. Oregon pine could be bought in ■ America to-day at 3S dollars a thousand I feet, and freight Iβ New Zealand, when procurable, cost another "i"> dollars a thousand, makinz the landing cost about 70 dollars. Before the war. said Mr. j j Odlin. we used to buy it at from eight -to twelve dollars, and pay fTom 14 to 15 , dollars freight. Then New Zealand ! Customs duties added considerably to ! the expenses. doors, for in- | stance—some factories were turning out ' as many a-s 5000 a day—had to pay j duly of 10/ each. They were a pooi J article, better perhaps then thoee made j by hand, and were use*! largely in the ■ cheaper class of cottage in New Zealand. ' 'Three-ply panelling, aleo an American' specialty used largely over herp, had to; ipay a duty of from 12' to 15 peT 100 ft. ; It could be obtained fro-m Canada at leas ! J dirty, hut Canada"s manufacturers were nrgiiffible.

"The American lumber forests." eajd "Mr. Odlin. "were really wonderful. 1 motored thTou«?h one redwood forest in California for 150 mites all the -n-ay on a concrete road. (>.ir forests here rould not conrpare with them. There was no replanting necessary, the firs Teplanting tlMnwelvp"!. Th? greatest care, however, was exercised in their preservation, and ■the utmost precautions enforced again«t destruction by devastating fire*. The system they adopt shows the American mind." said Mr. OdHn. "All through the summer aeroplanes wheel overhead, observinsr for fires. Should any break out extinguishing bombs are dropped. Along the roads and high-ways are posted conRpicuoua notices informing the public that the law empowers foresters, of whom there are many, to call upon any one at any time to assist in fighting firee if they occur."