Eyrewell Production Beats West Coast

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30559, 30 September 1964, Page 23

Eyrewell Production Beats West Coast

The wind-blown Eyrewell forest pines are now producing timber at a rate half as high again as the entire timber production of the West Coast.

Mr B. H. Childs, senior forest ranger of the Forestry Service, said yesterday that after nearly six months’ work at Eyrewell since the disastrous storm, the forest was now producing timber at the rate of 14.4 million cubic feet a year. The West Coast’s rate of production was 10 million cubic feet a year.

Mr Childs said more than 4 million cubic feet had now been logged from the estimated total of 40 million cubic feet of timber blown down in the storm. There were 230 men on the job eraploved by 38 contractors. The timber was still quite green—green enough to be treated in the sawn state with preservative. Mr Childs said the length of time that logi ging could continue would depend on the weather, but , he was confident that it could ! continue for at least another I six months as planned. Timber was now being sold at the rate of 14.2 million cubic feet a year. Exports To Japan I Production for export to j Japan was going ahead at the i rate of 5 million cubic feet a 'year. The next shipment of

264.129 cubic feet was already at Timaru waiting to be loaded in the Shikiharu Maru on Thursday. For the local market, sawlogs were being sold in Canterbury at the rate of 6,910,000 cubic feet a year, and to Conical Hill at the rate of 1,330,000 cubic feet a year. The rate of sales for peelers, poles, posts and chipboard was 1,417,000 cubic feet a year, making a total local sales rate of 9,657,000 cubic feet a year. Mr Childs said the timber was being moved by both road and rail. Four railloading units were being kept busy at Kaiapoi and 30 waggons a day were being loaded for South Canterbury mills, Conical Hill and Timaru. The vice-president of the Canterbury Timber Merchants

Association (Mr D. D. McAlpine) said yesterday that the new Canterbury Timber Distributors, Ltd., was a joint company of timber merchants, sawmillers and the New Zealand Forest Service. As such it must be unique in New Zealand, he said. “Although the primary aims are to salvage as much timber from Eyrewell as possible, timber merchants with the advent of this new yard will have access to vast timber stocks. So that when a large order is required at short notice of say, one particular grade and one size, a merchant will not only have his own resources but also Canterbury Timber Distributors, Ltd., to draw on.” The directors of the new company comprise four representatives of the timber merchants, four of the sawmillers and one from the Forest Service.