Coast mills ‘cannot cope’

Press, 30 August 1978, Page 10

Coast mills ‘cannot cope’

West Coast sawmillers savt they may not be able to cope| i with the increased milling j * and marketing of beech trees! as outlined in the Govern-! ment’s new forestry policy. | Beech trees would need) more processing and this! j would mean increased costs.: (said the secretary of the West si Coast Sawmillers’ Associa-i > tion (Mr J. M. Wilson). >* There would also be* 'marketing problems. 11

i The Minister of Forests! J (Mr V. S. Young) had pro-* 'posed that one quarter of the: (sawmilling industry on the West Coast change to milling • I beech. * Mr Wilson said sawmillers I ( had set up a committee toj :i investigate the proposal and: .’to make submissions to the) ([Government, -I The Government s decision! ihad affected milling at the! yßuatapu mill and had over-* (looked the importance of the!

| mill to the people of Hokitika and the West Coast generally. “The Ruatapu problem: raises other important issues.! not the least being the future* | of the railway south of Greyimouth,” said Mr Wilson, i Mr Young had also indijcated that prices for West [Coast native timber would : I be increased to a level simi- • ilar to kauri. This was out of 11 touch with commercial real-

lity and would be the “death knock” for West Coast milling. I Of criticism by the Native (Forests Action Council about The use of “high-grade” kahiJkatea as boxing at Twizel bv the Ministry of Works and Development, Mr Wilson said that in milling high-quality : native timber the miller had I to produce the same amount .of lower-quality building ! material. The latter had been . used at Twizel.