A "TIMBER TOWN."

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 74, 20 December 1907, Page 3

A "TIMBER TOWN."

THE FIRST SOURCE OF WEALTH. " The present prosperity of this district depends on the sawmills," said Mr. H. D. Bennett, of the Rangitikei Sawniilling Association, to the Premier at Taihape, " and when; the mills have gone, dairying will take their place." This has been the experience of many towns in New Zealand, towns which are now on a sound footing. Dannevirke is the latest example. But about 'Taihape— " How many mills are there in the vicinity of this town, then," asked a Dominion reporter of Mr. Bennett. "Twenty-five. They practically support Taihape.' On an average they employ from twenty-five to thirty hands cach. A littlo time ago the Public Works Department was spending £8000 a month in wages here. With the advance of the railway line north, that has gone. But the town is no worse off. You can sec that yourself! It lo&ks pretty prosperous, doesn't it? Last month the amount of the wages sheet at the mill where I am employed, was between £300 and £400. You have only got to multiply that by twenty-five to get at the total amount of wages paid, and the money consequently in circulation." The timber mostly taken from the bush round about Taihape is matai, rinnl, and pine. Tram lines tap the bush in various directions. Most of the logs are brought out by steam haulago, and by bullocks. As the railway line extends further north it enables the great Waimarino forests, about which so much has been said lately, to be tapped. Even now, said Mr. Bennett, preparations were in progress to start opera-' tions on huge areas as soon as the iron horse came along. It was the railway that made sawmilling possible here. , Several mills were already in course of erection at the AVaimarino, and operations would be altogether bigger than around Taihape. The class of timber was of a larger and finer quality. Totara was also to be found there. It was impossible to say where the centre of the sawniilling industry along the line would be in the future. At present the headquarters were at Taihape, and would remain there for some years—ten years perhaps, for it would bo quite that time before the mills there were cut out.