TIMBER CONMISSION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 504, 11 May 1909, Page 2

TIMBER CONMISSION.

(DT TELEGEAPH —PEESB ASSOCIATION.) Auckland, May. 10. • Afc thev sitting, of. tho Timber, Oommissioi.; to-day", Herman ; Ooupo, manager. ,of tha Taupo-Totara Sawmllling Company, said he did not think good WoUld-tesult' froii . an export duty 0)1 kailii and white pine, li was held by" tlio .timber. industry_ that a protective import tax on -foreign timber. of Is. per 100 ft' would only increase tho.cost of. a - cottage by- £8.; Conservation of the bush in faco oi' advancing settleffleJit was ins. possible; if the import duty on pine, was Hot inci-eascd, liiany sawmills 'Would bo closed. , Competition WoUld bo .keener, and priccs would advanco. There should bo n? t'reo importation ttt allj not even of logs. David Goldie, timber merchant, of land, stated that he did. hot consider that the present price' of timber was excesslvc, whou the ■ heavy, expenses and ■ risks of the millers were- taken into account. It .war. 'absurd to say that.tho present slump in tIM building trade was due to tlib high phco ( of timber. It was tolly ib talk of consemna tho kauri, and he ridiWed tho idea of placing an export duty oil it; 1 It Would not eava the kauri,' as thousands of poundfj,-.;Wom. wei-e being destroyed every yea* by fire. lh* prico obtained on exported/tambtf enabled tho millers to pay the existing high >ato .of wages.. If an' export duty was imposed null; ers'ivoilld cither liavo to reduce wages or stop milling to d largo extent. Ho did not' thinlc the', import, duty on foreign timbers should bo raised, as Oregon was now to some extent taking the place of medium kauri, whichWtts ndw hard to procure, lie denied that thote was a combine in tho trade to keep up : tho price of timber. Tlioy had an association which agreed upon a schedulo of prices, but this had not been adhered tr by all the meiubors. .