OREGON PINE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 260, 27 July 1908, Page 2

OREGON PINE.

.... Sir,rrlho present.agitation on tie pa'rt(of the sawmilling interest of'this country., to ! . prevent the.importation of Oregon ipiuo'is ' .worth "the .consideration '.'of. more ~"thjn,'the ; timber trade. alone';..'."ls.it..unsound to..con- ' • i(thflt jowei'.-priced . timber would' niean. Iwror, ipriced.': housesand' .'consequent -. "T^iitals.p'. "If ~ this |be .50, then. Ts' hot .. : ,i? .'lpwei-pric'eii' supplies! of;this ...commodity '.'a. general .'.'one P."' The i argument i. to. influence public .opinion.against . the. importation",' of " this...Oregon ~'pihe ;\will . uiiddubtedly-.be: the jiry, that the .localiiaiur '/?ctßf# Pacific; mill.meii,'owihg .to ' the. high'wages in! the , . sawmills Lore, arid: so many of the local- 1 mills .- .'haw; to close down,, . Jn.' fact,.' a .petition t]iat; is eventually -to -be presented - to- our . Prime Minister'is already going the rounds . of bush sawniillsj 'graying',for. the. shutting ~ .R n^"^lvftjs; .P/^uct^l > .thy-\?Miern''States of J America. In this '.petition, it 'is .'stated I 'that . ;the.Amencan:'millmein making .use and. coloured labour" our loial • '.millers "cannot t compete,.-"etc.:." . .. TWs refprenco_ .to "cheap and coloured la* hour creates in the. mirids of tliose unacquainted .with' tbe conditions ruling in'.iiie M estern American Sawmills an impression that, is .unwarranted and; unjustified. But that is by the way. , To those in touch with the production. of_ timber. in America it is known that, despite the vast area of un-. touched-forests, and allowing- for a consider- ' able area being reforested' by natural' conditions after it has been ! cut off, the official statistics show clearly that, even at the present rate of cutting and making a conservative -allowanne 'for increase of population, the States will'need all her timber for Home-con-sumption before very. long. In fact.at'tiia present time,; this prospect of shortage is causing i the Government of that country to make such provision as will best..-safeguard the interests of the coming generation. In yiew of this 'tis questionable if this, importation of Oregon pine is not but a flash in the pan. But even" if 'tis not'so, is New Zealand so overburdened'with forests that she can afford to neglect any legitimate, means to conserve.this natural wealth? Iftihe t»< cent financial crisis in America , lias .temporarily lessened'.the demand there for.the*tini- ' ,ber. produced on the Pacific' Coast, and in . consequence the Pacific millmen'Have to soil tbeir surplus:stock at such a low-'rate that Ntiw Zealand merchants' are'able to "import it at a profit, then.,why should this 'ouany not accept .the' advantage likely to be obtained from a cheapened commodity? If timber' can lie bought at a lower price than ' at present: is-it not sound to conclude that building operations in the Dominion ' .vtould \ • increase,- and, thereforo, many -more men bo -employed in ,that trade alon6'than-'-at--pre-sent?—not to mention the ■ advantage thai ' - would "accrrio to. the many trades'indirectly* ■ concerned,' This advantage alone ; vould be a ■ very substantial,setofE ,to, the. contention- of* •' the tiitit; many, men,w'ould be . 1 1 ifowiu out: of employnient,,'if..they .liave.'-.to * • closo dowii some of 'their mills. Needless to ' ' a . tbe-.-mills. r of /New-Zealand are not I affected Jn.'the..same;dfgree;'., -'Tis .the.-pbso. • .'le^e 7 .msphiheryV'.and '..antiqukted : methodir, jn :usej'in so many in this country. „thit .has'a-lot to do • with the higli cost of ptoduc- ' .tion.jcAlso, there is thejheavy 'cost of trans-' port ruling in this' that has a direct - bearing; npon.-'AHe" ability ; of (the-local :-timbe'r ■tp'Compete with the,'iniported-article.'-,,-"j : - ■; i- Jf.;th'e embargo were : taken iff: the'caJriage i of timber on the Wanganui ; .resources of.the Waim'arino forests-could be i to, say, 'Wellington, at probably* 60 •. per . cent,, less, cost- than ■ ati' ,alone means much. Instead of adding to the " cost of material used in. the construction-of dwellings-; for. the people., of the. .Dominion, i attentioh 'should be directed to cheapening it, ■so that the.rerit problem migit b4 approhciied i with a more -reasonable chanco of ' , 'And*.what affects the rents of-houseslin thia ! country affects the -country at large', and-'so • this of importing Oregon pine. is, T believe, a-:geUera]' one.—l' am, , etc.",'! : July I".- : ' ' / :.' MILL kanq,;