WHITE PINE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3052, 13 April 1917, Page 10

WHITE PINE

■ THE SUPPLY DIMINISHING - . EXPORT TAX IDEA " Alarm was expressed by-a deputation bf the Timber • Workers' Federation, , ,which waited upon tho Acting-Prime Minister yes';rday, lest tho Government might take the advice ,of certain farmers' organisations and put a proMbitive export tax 011 white pine. It .was stated that this timber is the only 'timber procurable in Australasia which is suitable foi butter boxes, and that to stop the expdrt of it to Australia ■ would paralyse the butter export in- ' 'dustry of that country. From the point of view of the timber-worker's the stoppage of export would be disastrous, for "it . would throw out. of work 75 per cent, of the men eirgaged now in the : white pine mills and factories. On tho v other hand, it was urged that the Government Stiould take some action, because it was calculated that the suplilies of -white piue in the country ■would he exhausted in tep years, even at' the present rate of consumption, and it-could reasonably be assumed that tie rate of consumption would increase in the future. Tho best plan seemed to be to experiment with' other timbers to take the place of, white pino for the making of bittr-r-boxes, and the • Government was urged to try tawa, of which there were liundreds of millions of- feet in New Zealand. If this timber. was found suitable,- the ■ Government should reserve fil that was standing, and allot it the millers in tho 'industry according to their requirements. " Sir James Allen-said that the Gov- . ' iernmenfc liad'done nothing about imposing restrictions on the export, of white pine, hut if +W facts were as , represented, then it might be necessary to put ail export duty'on. The ' other question that, ;lind been was one of great importance, and he Tinned that, it- would be considered later by the Efficiency Board. Wo hoped that soon it would ho possible to- set up a scientific'research - commit-. /tee which would be able to deal with . Mich problems as the substitution of 111'aterials for tl'osc the supplies of which were nearly exhausted. The proposal to set hp such a committee had hoen before Cabinet, and he hoped that some action would soon be taken; Tim committee, when it was set up, would be able to deal imt only with ivln't" pine, but with .other .'industries with the establishment of new industries, ■the utilisation of waste products and matters of this sort.