‘Timber cheaper to burn than rail’
About 3000 cords of wind-blown timber in Ashburton County might be burned instead of used for chipping, because shipping it to Christchurch by rail under the 40-mile rail restriction would result in a loss to the county of about S 8 a cord, Mr K M. Baxter told the Canterbury Progress League this week.
If the timber were sent to Christchurch by road, the county would stand to make a profit of $5OOO, he said. The chairman (Mr D. B. Rich) suggested the county could apply for exemption from the rail restriction. But Mr Baxter said he had been told on good authority that the council would have no chance of success.
The only chip-board factory for the timber was in Christchurch, he said. It seemed ludicrous that timber should have to be burned because of this situation, Mr Rich said. He felt the league should support the county on the question. Mr Baxter said similar shipping problems existed with Mid-Canterbury barley,
to the point where the North Island buyers could land barley from Australia more cheaply than barley from Mid-Canterbury.
It was decided that efforts to have the rail restrictions changed should be supported.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32775, 27 November 1971, Page 5
Word Count
201‘Timber cheaper to burn than rail’ Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32775, 27 November 1971, Page 5
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