BIG TIMBER MILL

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 150, 21 March 1939, Page 2

BIG TIMBER MILL

Dismantling In Progress Dominion Special Service. DUNEDIN, March 20. For the past four months a party of .10 men lias been at work iu Fort'Craig, Soul bland, dismantling a timber mill which in its day was the largest oper■itiug in the South Island. There are believed Io be at least 1000 tons of valuable mill machinery and another 1000 tons of rails to be removed and these are being shipped to Bluff by the auxiliary scow llorouia, which was sailed specially down from Auckland for the purpose by Captain Miller. The mill was closed down seven years ago last. November, but before that there had been a mill operating in Port Craig since 1920, iu which year a small factory was erected to produce timber for the building of the structure now being demolished. This was capable of producing 40.000 superficial feet a day and its yearly output was about 8.000,000 feet.

The liorouta, which is Uat-bottoined and is beached at Port Craig before loading is begun, is capable of making six trips a month between Port Craij and Bluff, where the machinery is be lug lauded and stored, but bad has kept the scow in shelter for sevew weeks all told, one particularly bac spell being for three weeks on end. At the present rate of progress and allowing for a certain amount of bad weather, it is expected that the job will bo finished by the end of June. The material from the mill, which is being shipped in lols of 60 or 70 tons, except in bad weather, when only 40-odd tons are taken, is being landed at Ocean Beach, near Bluff, and is meeting with a ready sale.