NEW ZEALAND'S TIMBERS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 404, 13 January 1909, Page 9

NEW ZEALAND'S TIMBERS.

"..Sir,—l-note with.interest your telegrams froni l'almerston 'North in Saturday's Dominion regarding the ;clbsing-down of fifty timber'.mills and the loss of employment..to' probably 1000 mill; hands. 'I also read "with!'interest -your valuable articles in the DouhnoN,'. dated tho '27th°'and' 28th November ; list, headed' ."The Timber Problem;"' "Sir, wheh.an'jndustrT like this is.at-stake depu- ' tatione to. Cabinet , ' Ministers: and 'setting', iiji '< I&yal'Commissions Ho.deal 'with; same-'Uβ" i' farce. v ;' This matter":,ought tb' have" been, dealt, with'.befpre Parliament'prorogued-, arid v. a* heavy/, import duty placed on Oregon' pine,. ; whic!?. : of "nulls''.' shutting" dowii :all; : _'oter''thjs."Celohy- arid; the; men".. being thrown out;;of" employment. , -Instead-'of the present Prime Minister and , his Cabinet doing this".they'.'.wait.until;the session closes, and Quietly. put,'»rss; per 100 sayer/ii.. export ; vkauri l aiid white'-ptne in.' the 'logi: and Ss'^.mtlie':flitch. =;Of euufsbpwhile'-this export' duty'obta'ih's'. r New Zealand ihnst Keep 'h'erf]Jaiiri;'and\"trWU : ''-pine'./v!rho : :Bo'niitibii has "billions; 'of" feet'- of red ■ and white; pine in;*' the" three;; ■ available for L cutting if .'wopflen '•-. tramways , -' are "only - fun -over/the hills ; 'a'n I d,tSken"'irito"tho , ' bush'..s'; : 'V '~i'; ■•■ returned'from England in July ■ jast^Vfiere■•••;fpr;-.thrceyears -I was'engaged iiiintroducing r ;th'e "New- ZealandJtimb'erV ontlie n Eiiglisfi markefsVJT'had the largest anil best'seasoned'.range of samples' of New 'Zca : ' '■ land 'woods\that-. has ever left: this Colony;, and'tho largo 7 timber" merchants" in•Manchester;,' liverpool, and' Glasgow, "when visiting ''pur/ show rooms, , advised lne'that they; we're ribt'-aware that :this':Colony.■ had su'ch 'woml's. '"-New" Zealand cail get from; 2i.' y'd." to'3s. per'cube "fcfot for''hef-primo whitG'.pine, and from , 3s. 3d: iii is/ per .cube foot for her prime kauri.This is : the way timber is sold in-England, and eight cube foot go to the hundred super,' and 2000- super''feet'. 'to the standard.' Sir, every, sawiriiller and timber merchant of any standing''in s tho : Cplony' knows .that"Orf.gon pine' was*being '"dumpocV. in ■ here while tho trade was-at- a v 'staiidstin..m America »nd Krigrari"d7aSd'6'u>!.'Governhient''is hurrying on the c'losing'-down'of our mids by subsidising the Allan Line-/of:steamers to the tuno of £10,000; which "craft can'bring the Oregon in hero at about half the coat of whatirt takes to send'■ our. own" timbers by,' iteainer :. to Sydney! Sir;- during my recent eommer-" cial visits-to South Africa and England I was advised that Oregon pine was a vory indifferent wood and hard to work. Apologising/ for taking up your space.—l am, eto., ; .January ;9." ; CHAS. ONYON.