TIMBER FOR COALS.

Evening Post, Volume IX, Issue 71, 6 May 1873, Page 2

TIMBER FOR COALS.

TO THE' EDITOR OF THE EVENING POST, Sib — In my last letter on " New Zealand coals," I offered to explain my reasons for believing that, although the quality of most of the coal on the West Coast of the South Island is very good, and its quantity almost unlimited, it will eventually be more advantageous for Wellington and its dependencies togprocure coals at Lyttelton than at Wangakawau (commonly abbreviated into Ngakawau), Westport, dr Greymouth. In the first place, those Kelson and Westland ports do not offer a market for much that the Wellington country produces. Canterbury, on the contrary, requires a large, constant, and constantly increasing supply of good timber, which may be shipped at Wellington at a reasonable cost and in sufficient quantities, if the best means be adopted of establishing cheap communication between the excellent har-

bour <#Wellington and the timbered dis« tricts accessible from it, as -well as the open districts -which -A-mild e>r>«oine much coal if it could be brought cheaply to them. The actual distances are in favor of Lyttelton. The following are taken "with, sufficient accuracy from the chart : — Wellington (Ftairls) tr> Orpyoinuth (outside bar) 320 miles ; do do dn Westport (outside bar) 260 miles ; do do do Lyttelton (Heads) 180 milea. Considering the farther advantage of the straight course between Wellington and Lytteltou over the sinuous course between the central port and those south of Cape Fjyovrell, and moreover the possible detention by v m<\ and sea inside and outside the bars of the latter, we may conclude that the voyage from Wellington to Greytnouth and bank will average twice as long a duration, and th-vt to Westport and back more than half as long again, as the voyage to Lyttelton and back. The bai's of both Westport and Greymouth render it inevitable that a class of vessels drawing less water and carrying a smaller cargo shall be employed in that, trade, than in that with Lyttelton, and the consequent economy in the freight of large quantities is at onca apparent. The coal dealer who might contrast to supply steam navigation or railway companies here for long periods, would prefer carrying his warps in vessels of the largest possible burthen, in proportion to working ex* pensies, such as -will suitably trade between the deep water harbours of Wellington and Lyttelton. How much timber does Canterbury now consume, and where does it get its supply from ? 1. Foreign. To the prompt courtesy of Mr Seed, I owe the possession of the document, a copy of which follows : — Return of the Quantity and Value of Sawn Timber imported into the Province of Canterbury during the year ended 31st December, 1872.

William Seed,* Secretary and Inspector of Customs. Office of the Commissioner of Customs, Wellington, 19fch April, 1873. 2, New Zealand. From a "Return relating to intercolonial trade and shipping" [Appendix to Journals House of Representatives, vol 3, G. No 48 A., p. 7], I find that during the year ending 30th June, 1872, Canterbury imported from other New Zealand ports sawn timber worth £20,133 ; palings £157 J shingles, £69 j total, £20,409. It is unnecessary to give in detail the places from whence this came, except that £17,000 worth of it was shipped at Havelock and Picton together, £1,135 worth at Auckland, and none at Wellington 1 Thus Canterbury imported during one year a gross total of about £30,000 worth of timber. This importation will continue to augmetlt rapidly, as soon as ever the opening of ita^j mines -shaft result in very cheap fuel, and the consequent establish* ment of manufactures, and great progress thereby of profitable agriculture and other pursuits requiring & constant addition to the number of permanent inhabitants. How is Wellington to take a large share in supplying this demand ? Bow is fc the excellent timber of the Wairarapa and Manawatu forests to be brought to the ship's side, so aB to compete with Havelock and Pic ton,? If the railway now in such slow course of construction be completed from the Queen's Wharf to the Upper Hutt, there may bo brought by it to the ship's side a limited quantity of cheap timber— such as yet stands in the valley, and on the hill sides whence it can be shot or easily dragged down ; but that source will soon be exhausted. I do not pretend to guess how long it will occupy to construct the projected railway over the Rimutaka range to the timbered parts of the Wairarapa district, 1 feel sure, however, that even if that railway were completed at' once, no loads bo heavy in proportion to value as coals or timber, could be profitably carried on the line. The wear and tear of both rails and rolling stock over the 25 miles and upwards of mountain gradients and curves, without any local traffic throughout the whole of that distance either in passengers or freight, would constitute an enormous item in the working expenses of such a railway ; and though wool, worth -£150 a ton, comM, and even tallow, meat, butter, cheese, or flax might, stand the charge for carriage necessary to pay working expeuses, certainly coal and timber, worth only from £2 to £'6 per ton, would not. t have always advocated, instead of the railway over the mountain, one from a whnrf at Lowry Bay round the 26 miles of level beach, and up the gentle incline of the Wairarapa phin. By such a line t believe that both coal and timber might be carried profitably ; and wheat, grown in the rich alluvial lands of the Valley, especially in the seaward portion, might become an export instead cf an import of that inviting district. 1 ' I will reserve for another letter the question of the best line of railway communication between the harbour of Wellington and <;.he Great Western plain of the North Island, about three millions of acres in ex- : tent, which reaches from the northern base ' of Paikakariki Hill to the White Cliffs, beyond New Plymouth. I am, &c, E. J, Wakkfield. 30th April.

Men of colors — Painters. Net profits — A fisherman's. A Green Grocer — One who trusts. Mis(s)understandings — Spinsters' boots. The moat modest thing in creation — The retiring tide. A man must become wise at his own expense. — Montaigne, An object of interest — Your deposit in the saviugs bank. The smallest thing mentioned in the Bible : " the wicked flee." A social glass, to which the ladies are addicted — The mirror. , " Specify your funeral promoter," is Chidagoan for " What -will yon take to drink ?" Yeated Interest. — Money in the waistcoat pocket. A beautiful woman, said Fonteneile is the purgatory of the purse and the paradise of the eye.

ltnportiug 1 From whence Ports. J Imported. Quantity Value Lyttelton ' U. Kingdom N. S. Wales \ Tasmania ... 1 Victoria ... .' U S America A.karoa.,. , Nil Tim-vvu... ; N. S. Wales Tasmania ... Feet! 499,512 72.355 340,942 1 • 550 219,726 £ 4,748 GSo 2,284 ]0 1,336 ... • M4O 44,750 40 300 1 Totals 11.170.575 £9.403