TRADE REVIVAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 234, 3 October 1934, Page 5

TRADE REVIVAL.

TIMBER INDUSTRY.

KING COUNTRY ACTIVITY.

GOOD DEMAND FOR MATAI. (From Our Own Correspondent.) TAUMARTJNTUI, Tuesday. The statement that a majority of the timber mills operating between Taihapc and Te Kuiti were working full time was niade to a "Star" representative to-day by a well-known eawmiller, who has been in business in the King Country for over 25 years. He said that the industry .had brightened considerably during the past few months, with tho result that only a small percentage of timber workers were on the unemployed list. The large mills were not yet cutting up to their full capacity, but the majority of the workers were getting five days , work per week. When tho first Government building subsidy was granted, the sawmillers had a fair amount of timber stacked in their yards, but since the last subsidy became operative, the dry timber stocks in the King Country sawmill yards were found to be very low. Heart of inatai, which nine months ago was difficult to dispose of, was now in keen demand, and several; fairly large orders of this class of timber have recently been forwarded to timber merchants at Gisborne and Christchurch, where building operations were fairly brisk at the present time. The sawmiller also stated that he considered that the provision made by the Government that people granted a building subsidy were compelled to use only New Zealand material was having a good effect on the sawmilling industry. During the past few months carriers have been particularly busy conveying timber from the back-country sawmills to railway stations in central King Country, and the following figures (in feet) show the amount of timber railed from Taumaruimi to towns on the main Trunk line during the past three months, compared with the same months last year:— 1934. 1933. JeJy ~,.,.. '782,000 714,680 August 890,850 910,750 September ....„ 979,350 9£9£00