SILVER PINE ON WEST COAST

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22432, 20 June 1938, Page 5

SILVER PINE ON WEST COAST

Disposal Policy Of Government CRITICISM AT MEETING OF FARMERS* UNION [THE PRESS Special Service.] G RE YMOUTII, June 18. “Here we have the worst possible example of rapacious capitalism and of grinding the worker down; This only goes to show that Socialism will not do the worker two hoots of good.” This was part of a condemnation of the Labour Government, through the Forestry Department, concerning the disposal of areas of silver pine on the West Coast, made by Mr P. J. O’Regan, of Inangahua, at the annual conference of the West Coast provincial branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union at Greymouth on Friday. Mr O’Regan’s remarks followed the tabling of a remit from the Inangahua branch “that the policy of the.Forestry Department in-, calling for tenders for silver pine at more than royalty rates, displays a rapacity usually associated with capitalism and should be discontinued.” The remit was carried. The position to-day on the West Coast, said Mr O’Regan, was that the getting of silver pine was the only avenue of employhrerit open to a man with sufficient incentive: to wish to employ himself. If a man wished to put a truck on the road he had to buy out a licence, and if he wanted to go farming he had to have a big capital. On silver pine a man could earn a competence. “Of late there has .been a. considerable demand for areas •of silver pine,” said Mr O’Regan, “and the Forestry Department has exploited that demand by calling for lenders. The department says ‘There are the royalties—you tender above them at plus so much per cent.’ As a result, some featherbrain will tender 20 per cent, above, do no good, hut still keep everyone else off. I maintain that the old principle of ballot used for Crown Lands should be adhered -to. Silver nine is there for everyone and should be hallotled for. If such a thing had taken place under the previous administration perhaps one could have understood it.” He had heard from a man who was cutting silver pine, said Mr A. W. 801 l (Inangahua), who supported the remit, that the royalty had been raised from 15s lOd to 30s for 100 posts. If that were so,-said Mr Bell, what would happen to the price of posts? Soon people in Canterbury would say that they were too dear and turn to concrete posts, with a conseauent loss of employment on the West Coast. The purchasers of silver nine, said Mr W. Clayton (Grey Valley), who also supported the remit, were all farmers, and had a right to object. They had to get the timber at a reasonable price. There was a sale for millions of silver pine posts in New Zealand if they could be obtained at a reasonable price.