TRADE DEPRESSION

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18970, 7 April 1927, Page 10

TRADE DEPRESSION

THE TIMBER INDUSTRY. GOVERNMENT AID ASKED. [THE PRESS Special Service.] WELLINGTON, April 6. A largo deputation representing timber workers, timber mills, and local bodies, specially aSccted by the depression'in the timber industry, waited on members of ■ the Government ' to-day, and urgerl the imposition of additional duties 011 imported timber. The Government members present were;— The iiight lion. Mr Coates '.Prime Minister), the Hon. Air Downie Stewart (.Minister for finance), the Hon. Mr MeLcod (Minister lor Industries and Commerce), and the Hon. Mr Williams (Minister for Public Works,). ' The.members of the deputation were: —Messrs \V. Parlitt (Mayor of Ureyjnoutli;,>i>. M.. llouertsuu (.Uroyuiouih Progress League), it. Wild (Westiand County Council,), A. cipiers (Mayor of IvumiU-a),' ; D. liiyan (tv estland Progress 'League), 1' - Turley (secretary of tiic Timber Workers' Association), J. Ji. Powell (chairman of Buller County), W. .|iS. \Ttirubull (Timber Protection Leagxie), V%'. H. Sandford (-Mayor of l'aetrhi),- if. 31. Trevor (Ohakune Chamber of Commerce), A. J. Langmuir; (Taumarunui Chamber of Commerce), and G. Manson (Mayor of Tauniarunui). Mr 'T. E. Y. Seddon, M.P., said that the -deputation represented the timber workers throughout New Zealand and the local. bodies which were affected by the present slump in tho timber industry. It was second in the industries of. New Zealand so far as the number of :men employed was concerned. There were 1Q,082 engaged in the industry; and . the sum distributed in wages amounted to £2,286,831. 'ln addition, to the inen directly employed there were in any workers in other industries who were indirectly affected by the trade. -The present import duty on timber, was, 2s per hundred superficial . feet. .J.Hough, sawn timber royalties had. considerably advanced in late yfeafsj aiid railway freights on timber had been considerably increased. ; The greatest drawback to the industry, and the one which ho wished to accentuate particularly, was the increased importation of foreign timber. Jri the imported. - was 11,585,494 • superficial feet, compared with 43,570,7,61. feet in 1926,- a tremendous increase of 271.7 per cent.. .importations meant a menace to "the New Zealand timber The: slump in the industry had seriously-affected the mills on the "West Coast—a' number of the mills had been closed down, and the restriction in output amounted to 40 per cent. Greatest&cks of timber were being held at theynlills,: which timber had -to bo stripped; <in<order to preserve, it., The meant a generalslackriess^.''''trade.';! The unemployment irouhl.e'Hn theil.Dominion was at present and allowing foreign ,this country aggraUnemplojgnent difficulty. The to ift''or®i£jfco rislieye :tlie trouWes of the da-fa-milf ' linnds ihrotighout the., country. • 1 r :v' : - "•'v .Mr% E. Holland, M.P., said, he;d<3r Biced ; fro' suppprt they deiiutation in ;askirig that sonie action should bo taken to relievo the situation in respect to the timber industry. - j

,'„' Minister's Replies. q-JThe Hon; xVIr. Downie Stewart pointed 1 oukrit&at 'the, i Tariff ..Commission, v. T^icfei|^^ijbw^Slitting'S, Tfpuld rinqtnre''fuitc? i>)fe7<juestion of the \ tiinber., '•' .■■ho understood I\that evidence on..the- subject would be \iyen. ; by iohionienibers of the deputa\in. been urged-,by some leakers that the,' .question; should- be «lt with hy it was ,'. '-wed-'on the other?hand .that it re'Tred immediate attention that snt could only be decided by. : Cabinet. XONlfc ou §h he recognised that' : there was oiajession in the saw-milling industry, E.Uid..not think it had reached the , Jo that would justify the Governjstv .anticipating;".: the will of Parliag.jßment that had been made that perioclW,'' B ' ere 10,000 workers engaged in itimber industry. . His information f .that the number was 7600. He out that in recent years of tho mills had considerjr increased. -No permits for export WAN'&fceen refused during the past three m&Eour years, with the. exception of -_ Minister said that ho had very carefully to everything * Deen said." He' recognised BITXgtl the position was.-a delicate.one JJSifSevery point of view. It was - also "yveior important one, especially,'from of view of those making repreBl *ro|otioris. The problem required gupyiog from every point of view in fQetr to . make 'perfectly .certain. that Tery stop taken was in the true inVE&ests of the. country, and of everygpdy concerned. 'lt had been stressed jjJtbgrtijthe produce and goods of New shQuld be. used,, wherever -pos\iSre\in.ythia few would jqnißagree' witfi ihat; As~ long /«& 'there was a. "competitive element in ) ©Jsssence :'hV and.;"bis colleagues agreed that we ivere more concerned with the { interests of our own people than with i. those of people outside. /' 'The deputation might be perfectly Jf certain that the Government would conj Bitter the requests made very seriously.

NEW USE FOR COLOSSEUM. \Por.-many years the Colosseum in Gloucester street has'_ been very little used, but a use has at last been found for it. Some years ago it was purchased byj the Fuller interests for the purpose of erecting an up-to-date theatre, but it has now been resold to the Sutton Iriyestmonfc Company, who have leased it to Mr George Dickinson, proprietor of the -White Diamond Taxi Cab Company. Mr Dickinson intends to make exten»ive alterations almost immediately, and on May Ist the premises will be the headquarters of the White Diamond cabs, and a parking place for private cars. ; ' . OVER-SUPPLY OF HOPS. (ICSTBAUAS ' AND H.Z. '.CABUS ; ASSOCUTI.OS.) (Received April 6th; 9.30 p.m.) LONDON, April 6. In cousequence of an over-supply _ of British hops, the Growers' Association has decided to plant 4805 acres less.