TIMBER INDUSTRY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 139, 16 June 1927, Page 10

TIMBER INDUSTRY

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —In your issue of. the 6th. insfc. Mr. W. H. Winsor is reported as having made - a statement that we should import all our timber and take a leaf out of the book of the Japanese. Mr. Winsor shows a lamentable lack of knowledge on the tim- , ber question. .. We have heard much about conserving certain trees, but no person has come forward with a practical suggestion on conservation. Unfortunately N.Z. Forests have a habit of growing what is known as "mixed bush." So that the cranks who do not want a stick of white pine cut do not realise what they are asking. Assuming that all white pine is left stand- | ing, then when the other timbers were cut away the country would go into second growth, the cattle would get through, and the danger of fires would be very great. ■ ■ ■ Mr. Winsor can surely not be one of those people who consider timber to be the only item in the high cost of building. As a matter of fact it has been established that the cost of timber in the average house is only 20 per cent, of the total.

I quite agree that we should take a leaf out of Japan's book, but if we did we would be doing exactly opposite to what Mr. Winsor advocates.

In the "Tiinberman," the leading American logging, journal, of March, 1927, appears the following:—Osaka, Japan, 26th February.—Political strings have beea pulled. Political, ears have been inclined. As a result the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, has approved the draft of a Government Bill raising the tariff oa timber, which, if passed, will have farreaching effect on American and Canadian, exports to this country. The effect will not be for the better.

According to reports of an agreement reached by high officials of the Ministry, that body determined on new rates, which wjll, at present quotations, be equivalent to 4 dollars per 1000 ft on large squares, 8.00 dollars on baby squares, 12.50 dollars on boards, and 4 dollars on logs. Pine, fir, cedar, hemlock, and spruce are to be afi ecte.d. The proposed amendment to the tariff law must first pass the Cabinet Council, after which it will be drafted as a Government Bill and introduced into the Imperial Diet. If it gets that far this year ™re is ever? chance that it will pass Ine three principal political parties have signed what amounts to a truce The Budget air precedents to the contrary, passed the Lower House some time ago without the alteration of a figure. If the love feast is- continued American lumbermen, Japanese ■ lumbermen who handle American imports,,and Japanese shipping interests are due to receive a stunning blow. Japan is America's best customer for exports of lumber «„ i t item. £ oni *c "Timberman"! speaks for itself, and it is unfortunate that people do not make, themselves conversant with a subject before making statements which appear in the Press throughout New Zealand and mislead the public—l am, etc., * '. W, E. TURNBULL, Secretary, The N.Z. Timber Industry Advancement League.