N.Z. PRODUCTION OF TIMBER

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27074, 24 June 1953, Page 6

N.Z. PRODUCTION OF TIMBER

BIG PROPORTION OF EXOTIC PINE

FIGURES FOR YEAR ENDED MARCH 31 (New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, June 23. Two hundred and twenty-two million board feet of exotic pine was included in the total of 573,000,000 feet of timber milled from New Zealand forests during the year ended on March 31, 1953. Those figures emphasised the importance of exotic timbers, said the Acting-Minister of Forests (Mr J. T. Watts) today. The Minister said the reason for the creation of the Timber Preservation Authority was to encourage the best use of. exotics. The new Government organisation had been criticised, but new uses of exotic timbers had brought new problems which, he considered» should be handled by a specialist organisation. Only then would New Zealand home builders get the best possible value from the timbers now available, .and acquire confidence in them. Other timber figures for the year show that indigenous production amounted to 341,000,000 feet, including 232,000,000 feet of rimu. Decline In Exports Exports of sawn timber for the calendar year totalled 16,000,000 board feet—s,ooo,ooo feet less than in the previous calendar year. Timber imports totalled 15,000,000 feet, and the timber available to the New Zealand public amounted *to nearly 590,000,000 feet—ls,ooo,ooo feet more than in the previous year. Mr Watts said that quantity had been sufficient to meet the country’s requirements, and that the service to users had been better than for many years previously. In the North Island the production of exotic timber, at 173,000,000 feet, was about the same as for the previous year, but the production of indigenous timber, at 230,000,000 feet, was 3,000,000 board feet less. The increase in the total production of indigenous timber was very slight. There was an increase in the South Island, but southern exotic timber supplies were not adequate. The South Island produced a total of 110.000,000 board feet of indigenous timber and 60,000,000 feet of exotic timber.