HOPEFUL OUTLOOK

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 267, 6 August 1932, Page 12

HOPEFUL OUTLOOK

Demand for Local Timbers PROSPECTS OF ORDERS Forestry Research Needed “Although the position of• trade has been extremely difficult during the past year, it has not been withnut a ray of hope. There are certainly indications bf a renewal of orders both from local and outside cauntries >. Mr. James Deans, of Canterbury, in his Presidential address at the annual meetE of the New Zealand Forestry League last evening. „ no „ na “The reduction in prices, Mr. Deans continued, “will stimulate trade, and if these price reductions can J the sales must increase. Both froni Southland and from the West Coast come news of inquiries for different classes of timber from outside sources. If the British manufacturers of motorcars can be induced to give the Southland beech a trial, and it proves satisfactory, there is a prospect of a very large order for this valuable timber. This order, iflt is forthcoming, would keep most of the mills fully employed on it for nearly 18 months, and would be a godsend to the owners and workers employed in these districts. A Beneficial Effect. “For our exotic timbers also, an increasing trade seems to be setting in, and here again the reduction in prices is having a beneficial effect. The uses for pinus insignis seems to be definitely on the increase, and from an inspection of the last few years return of production it will be seen that this timber is being gradually used in increasing proportion in New Zealand.” Mr Deans said that he was afraid that the Forestry authorities had had to suffer rather unduly on account of the necessity for making reductions in the national expenditure. There was a very grave danger of the needs of the future being sacrified to the present urgent need for economy. He hoped that the. research work which had been begun on their indigenous forests would be allowed full scope. It would be a pity for this work to be curtailed at this, its most important, stage, as next year would complete the first quinquennial period of study in their Westland forests, and from indications it seemed that quite good increment yields were possible. “I am sure that the result of the investigations in these forests will be followed with interest by experts from all over the Empire,” said Mr. Deans, “and that the information received will go far to prove what has been impressed on us, and that is, that our indigenous forests can be milled with profit continuously. If .'this result ean be achieved it will be of immense benefit to the country, and should be attained without any very costly capital charges. The main difficulty would be that of management, and for this purpose the forests would have to be under Government control. System of Milling. “A proper system of milling must be enforced, and all the immature trees would have to be left for a future felling. From the work that has; already been done, there is no question that the timber is there In all stages of growth, and that if only the mature trees were milled the rest would in a reasonable time become big enough to produce millable timber.” Although the fall in the price of timber might mean hard times for the sellers, it was in some ways a good thing for the country. It should stimulate the building trade, and other industries as well, and it was to be hoped that the costs of producing this timber would come down sufficiently to enable the sawmillers to produce it at a profit. To do this, wages, transport, and other incidental expenses would have to be reduced, so that the reductions were evenly distributed.. “The difficult times we are going through may have the'effect of bringing these results about with permanent benefit to the sawmilling industry,” said Mr. Deans. “We have, without doubt, one of the most favourable climates for timber production in the world, and we only require a definite policy to manage our forests in such a way as to produce the timber we require at a reasonable cost. To do this, we need all the assistance we can get from our foresters, and it is a very urgent need to keep our School of Forestry fully equipped. The Government grant should be forthcoming with certainty, so that the-work can go on unimpeded from year to year. At present the position is so uncertain that the work cannot be fully carried out, and this is a great pity because more than anything else we require brains and business capacity to > manage our forests.” ' '