CUTTING DOWN TREES.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20836, 21 April 1933, Page 8

CUTTING DOWN TREES.

—..... ...^ —■■ IMPROVING THE GODLEY PLOT. WORK DONE IN NIGHT HOURS

Axes flashed and thudded in Cathedral square early this morning when workmen began to cut down the silver birch and cabbage trees in the Godley statue plot. The removal of the trees is part of the plan for the improvement of the plot adopted by the Christchurch City Council. There are five birch trees in the plot and four cabbage trees, all of which are to be cut down. They will be replaced by four lime trees which are to be transplanted from St. Albans Park. The limes which are to be used are about 18 feet high. It was expected that all the trees would be down by this morning. Cabbage Tree First. A lorry belonging to the reserves department of the City Council drove up soon after midnight, and a gang of men with axes, saws, ropes, and ladders began work. The first tree to be felled was a cabbage tree on the west side of the plot. A little more than a minute after the first blow had been struck it crashed to the ground. At the same time a birch in the north-west corner was being topped preparatory to felling. The number of wires close to the trees caused considerable difficulty. Reasons for Night Work. It was decided to do the work at night, because in the day stonemasons are working on the site for the Godley statue, and council men are making the kerbing. There would be little room for the tree fellers to work, and the other men would be in danger from the falling trees. It was also thought that if the work were done in the day a crowd would gather and block traffic. It was considered that if there was a mishap and one of the trees fell on a power line, there would be danger to the public in the day time.

IMPORTS FROM RUSSIA. ——o PROSPECT OF EMBARGO IN DOMINION. GOVERNMENT STILL AWAITING OFFICIAL ADVICE. The attitude of the New Zealand Government towards following the example of Great Britain and imposing an embargo on the importation of certain Russian goods was explained by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) in a telephone conversation from his home at Cheviot last evening. Mr Forbes would not confirm a statement attributed to him in a message from Wellington that "the Government would take into immediate consideration the question of prohibiting imports of Russian goods into New Zealand." The position was, he said, that the Cabinet was unlikely to consider the situation at all unless and until it received official advice of the embargo imposed by the British Government. So far no official information had reached him, nor had there been any official request that New Zealand should take action in sympathy with the Home Government. The Prime Minister is returning to Wellington by the ferry steamer on Saturday night. Whether the Cabinet will meet as soon as Monday will depend upon the number of Ministers at Parliament House. Legislation Unnecessary. Discussing the subject in Wellington last week, Mr Forbes said he did not think it would be necessary to pass legislation to deal with any situation that might arise. The Government, he believed, already possessed all the necessary powers for restricting imports. The Year Book does not. show the extent of Russian imports into New Zealand, as they are not considerable enough to deserve Separate mention. Figures from the Customs Department reveal that there has been a marked drop in the value of Russian imports since 1928, but an indication that the drop is about to be arrested is provided by the figures for the first three months of the present year. The value of imports for the three months of the present year is £32,179, and of this amount petrol accounts for £28,100. Trade Statistics. The following table shows the value of imports from Russia since 1928: £ 1928 .. .. 43,959 1929 . . .. 27,034 1930 .. ..' 21,587 1931 .. .. 15,604 1932 .. .. 8,838 Direct exports from New Zealand to Russia are negligible. The principal imports from Russia during the last four years are shown in the following table:— 1929. 1930. 1931. 1932. £ £ £ £ Tinned rish .. 4909 1727 253 Fur skins, raw 5661 5425 805 1139 Fur skins, dressed .. 4410 3708 4708 3709 Apparel, including fur apparel .. 204 220 591 164 Mineral oils 656 983 476 326 Oak timber .. 2877 1234 2815 Veneers and plywood .. 943 2908 701 835 Brushmakers' materials .. 6179 6245 2621 1431 Wooden matches .. 66 183 1494 64 Caustic soda