OREGON PINE.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13363, 3 March 1909, Page 4

OREGON PINE.

ftisiia. Some interesting facts about the )regon pino industry, which occasioned onsiderabie stir in the timber business n New Zealand lately, were giien to a 'Press" reporter yevterday by Mr C. *Y. Cropp, of Tacoma, U.S.A., who is in a visit to New Zealand as the representative of an American timber linn. Mr Cropp said that the area over rhich the .Douglas fix, otherwise known is the Oregon pine extended, com>risod tho States of Washington and Oregon in the United States, and the irovince of British Columbia in Canada —a stretch about 700 miles long and j *00 tnilos wide. "So far as the trade vith New Zealand is concerned," Mr I Uropp continued, "it is not sufiieient io | n any way affect the scope of operations. Tlie total purchased for New Zealand within the past twelve months lid not exceed 25,000,000 feet, whereis a single mill in Tacoma cuts annually 100,000,000 feet. There are at least ten or twelve other mills of equal >izo scattered through tho three States I have mentioned. Tho reason for Oregon pino appearing at all on tho New Zealand market is simply that in the districts where it is grown the price last year was very low, owing to the depression in all kinds of businesses which existed in America. On the other hand, thoro was a very large demand in New Zealand, owing to the activity in the budding trade and the general prosperity of the country. The New Zealand merchants, faced with tho question of supply and demand, naturally looked to the nearest available source of supply. Since these purchases were made the American market has advanced, and it is very doubtful now whether, at th? present rates for timber in New Zealand, Oregon pine will be able to compete." Mr Cropp stated that the Douglas fir forests grew a tremendous amount oi timber to the acre. In an ordinary Oregon pino bush tho average size of tho trees # would bo 3ft in diameter, and each tree would on an average cut 100 ft of timber—a great many woulo. cut 150 ft. It paid tho American logging firms to put in permanent railways and have a systematic method ot handling tho logs, so as to get them to the mills and tho market as cheaply as possible. It was a very small mill which cut only 50.000 ft a day. A mill of any size" at all cut 20O,C0Oft per day. and some of tho largest cut 400,000 ft for a day of 21 hours. That of course cheapened the cost of logging and production. Tho difference between the cost of Oregon and kauri was not ono of wages; wages in America were quite n.s high as m New , Zealand, and the wills were nearly all . worked by white labour. j On the general question of restricting . tho importation of Oregon pino into : New Zealand Mr Cropp said that oi course he could not take an unprejudiced view. Ho hazarded the opinion, however, that it would bo a sounoer policy for New Zealand to conserve her own forests, and take cheap timber from abroad as long as it was available. There was a tremendous supply still in America, but there wero those who wero even now looking for the end. The conservation cf the New Zealand supply might dislocate things temporarily, but it would ultimately work out to* the economic advantage of the whole country.