MURUPARA SCHEME

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27639, 21 April 1955, Page 9

MURUPARA SCHEME

Sir, —Regarding the Government’s ■Tasman Pulp and Paper Company’s manufacturing scheme at Murupara. of which the raw material belongs to the state, what is the method to be used lor arriving at the footage of the trees to make the royalty charge on, and what is the Government going to Charge ' the company for the raw material? As the people of New Zealand have been taxed to produce maintain, and protect their forests I think they are entitled to this information. Whether the Government has Shares in the company or not, the company must purchase the raw material from the State, just like everybody else.—Yours, etc., - ' Hokitika, April 2, 1955. JH "

[The general manager of the Tasman Pulp and Paper Company. Ltd ,Mr M. L. Hobday) said: “The company has purchased its raw material from the Forest Service just like everybody else A pubUc sale by tender was duly advertised, and the Tasman sponsors tendered the upset price of 3d a cubic foot stumpage for both thinnings and clear fellings The ten der was duly accepted. The footage of toe trees—in this case a cubic foot inside bark—is being measured in the initial stage by actual measurements of‘toe diameters and lengths of the logs now being supplied. Later, owing to the enormous amount of material being handled daily—loo,ooo cubic feet —toe basic measurement will be by weight converted back to cubic feet by sample measurement and weighing of a representative sample of logs. The upset price of 3d a cubic foot stumpage—that is. for the trees as they stand unfelled—represents a figure which covers all growing costs of the timber, including all establishment, maintenance and interest charges.”]