Treated timber to New Caledonia

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32406, 19 September 1970, Page 16

Treated timber to New Caledonia

What is believed to be the first shipment of treated radiata framing timber exported to New Caledonia from Canterbury left Lyttelton yesterday in the Holmdale.

The shipment was 25,000 super feet of tanalised radiata from the Southbrook mil) of McAlpines Ra'ngiora, Ltd. Mr D. D. McAlpine, the company’s managing director, described the shipment, which is worth about $3OOO, as being very encouraging. He said the order followed a selling trip he made to New Caledonia last year. “We are certainly pleased to have been able to gain this toehold in this new area,” Mr McAlpine said.

McAlpines has rationalised its activities in Canterbury by standardising the names of its subsidiaries. The holding company now controls McAlpines (Hanmer), Ltd, which was previously the Hanmer Sawmilling Company, Ltd; McAlpines (Rolleston), Ltd, previously the Rolleston Timber and Building Supplies, Ltd, and McAlpines Sawmilling, Ltd, which was previously the Ashley Sawmilling Company, Ltd. Mr McAlpine said that the Hanmer Springs operation, taken over by McAlpines about four years and a half ago produced a large amount of round produce in the form

of fence posts. The Rolleston company was a small retail outlet selling timber, posts and hardware which was established by McAlpines three years ago.

The main mill at Southbrook, where the export lines were cut, replaced the Ashley mill taken over by McAlpines about five years ago. This was his largest operation, the capital cost of which was in the region of $150,000. Mr McAlpine said he hoped the Southbropk operation would produce five million super feet of sawn timber annually very soon, much of which was aimed at the Australian market where a substantial entry had been made into the Sydney market foi radiata pine.