ANALYSING THE TIMBER COMMISSION REPORT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 640, 18 October 1909, Page 3

ANALYSING THE TIMBER COMMISSION REPORT.

October 9 f • "

Sir, The report as presented to tho House of liepresentatives, published in your issue of October 5, is a most unsatisfactory summing-' "P. the position. There has boon considerable evidence given throughout the Dominion, and the impressions of the commissioners are .that 1 the sawniillers have not been charging cxees-. Mvc price- for timber; that the depression in the timber industry has been intensified by importation of Oregon pino; that over-prodno-tion also is a cause of the depression; thatrailway, freights are too. high; that more modern machinery should bo used, and more up-to-date plants in producing timber; that sawmill workers are paid higher than the' Arbitration award; that the Government have imported more timber than was justified in pieference to using timber grown in 'our' Doinin- ! they also advocate tho more general use L^ jCa - niu ' timbers, and facilities be given millers to help to use up shorts-and refuse. On analysing the position, it,is admitted that <•1 millions of Oregon pino cr.mo into our Do. minion m a, period of a littlo over twelve months, and during the time of a financial depression and-.shortage ; of demand for timber.-A-quantity of timber of , this magnitude forced upon our markets during, a crisis could not, help but severely intensify the depression, yet the commissioners. are of opinion that tho importation was beneficial to tho Dominion. .The loss to . tho country over this. transaction was X 54,000, free _of duty, sent out' of our Dominion to America. Tno loss to tho railways is .01,500. The loss to ihe workers of tho timber industry J852,000. Tho loss to landowners for royalty .£10,500, and tho loss to general trades J215,000. It has been proved conclusively, that once New Zealand bush is opened up and settlement advances it is a race between the mills and fires as to tho reclaiming and cutting out of tho trees, so that every million feet of timber imported is a direct loss to the. country of J35200 at . least, beside swelling tho ranks of the unemployed. Railway freights.—it. has alwavs' been contended by sawmillers that railage on' timber is too high in comparison, to rates.charged on' other goods. . Timber is carried .over the railways all-the. year, round in. largo quantities, as against many commodities that arp only carried at seasons 'of the year, at less rates' than timber. The public cannot expect to get cheap timber with excessive railway charges. Tho Timber Commission suggestions aro sound- on this question. * — ' ' ■ More Modern and TJp-to-dato^Mills.— I Tho re- ; marks of the commission aro quite true. Mills m, onr . P om > n '°n ore. much. behind the times. Iho millers aro not to,blame:for' that. Facilities hnvo not boenrgireaTJo tho millers to: warrant tho erection of .largo un-to-dato mills. In fact, restrictions have, been placed upon tho millers; generally, preventing tho millers yng sufficient area.of bush. Millers in this' 'Dominion have.been guided by circumstances, and, except in' exceptional. circumstances; sufficient areas aro not now available to erect these mills. ( Many ' small mills working out small settlers' bushes havo saved considerable waste of timber, and havo been a decided'benefit to tho community, and the small, out-of-date mill, has its value. Tho difference in cost of cutting timber with a fairly modern mill in. New Zealand bush and, tin ordinary' .Now Zealand mill would not amount to.more than 3d. per hundred saving. . - '■ Sawmill Workers' Wages.—The commissioners aro of tho opinion that tho mill hands are paid • higher than. Arbitration wages. It is quite ovi-; dent tho millers : have. been -fair '.to 'their employees. Tho work generally in-bußh sawmills warrants a fair wage, and salos, of timber .should bo at a price that pays a fair remuneration to tho class. o£ labour required to produce & . •' -. 1 ' Timber Imported by the Government.—lt seems reasouablo for the millers to' expect the Government to uso Now Zealand timbers where practicable, in tho 'face of the contributions the millers make to them in royalties and railages. The suggestion of the commissioners' reborn-, mending^tho more goneral'use ofj New Zealand timbers is a Valuable one, and sound common sense, and the samo remarks can be safely said in reference to facilities being given millers to uso upshorts and refuse. ' . ■ ' Duty o<i Oregon Pine.—The sliding scale of duty recommended by the commission is absolutely useless, to meet the case. Under the proSosea altered duty, it means a considerable re-' uction in duty, and the most , vital point in tho interests of the timber'industry. Tho • 3s.' duty proposed oil small sizes under 12 incjles in width- is evidently an attempt to increase the duty on timbers that. would bo most likely to compete with our general timbors. They have made nn attompt at fixing a duty that would reasonably protect our timber industry, at tho same.timo safeguarding the public. The attempt has been an absolute failure; and is inconsistent with their other recommendations,, and if. given effect to would bo,disastrous to our industry. Tho facilities under tho recommendation ofi'or greater -inducements than before for long lengths being, sawn into small sizes, and sola at from Is. to 2s. per hundred feet less, than at present. Oregon pine grows in ex- . tremoly long lengths, and it is advertised by many American- millors that they supply lengths up to 110 feet long. The length? recommended to come in free of duty, or at less duty, aro not considered long lengths in America. Tho result will bo beams and baulk will como hero in the usual way tho previous cargoes have come, except. that they escape tho duly, and be resawn into smaller sizes' exactly as is now being done, with a further advantage of 25., the amount of the present duty. Under these circumstances it is difficult to see any benefit that is likely to.accrue to our industries by increasing the duty on small sizes to 3s. The recommendation would not only bo a de-1 cided gain to tho shippers of the timber, but would suit the. American, millers equally as 1 well, because baulk timbers can be produced-at less cost than small sizes.. Then. again, the construction of the American mills are put down to suit the cutting of this timber, and the longer the lengths the greater' the results they get from their mills. Our misfortune is we 'have not got either the lengths or tho uniform quality, and cannot profitably apply this system in cutting out Now Zealand, timbers. There is no doubt that the position from a sawhiiller's view is that tho existing duty is proferablo to the proposed alteration. While millers generally are nob averse to long beams and. baulk coming into"'onr Dominion at a small duty, or free" ofj'dutx, for special purposes, they consider that they should bo used tor that purpose and that purpose only.—l am, eiC '.' : .' SAWMILLER.