SEASONED TIMBER

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 62, 10 September 1937, Page 8

SEASONED TIMBER

SHORTAGE DENIED

(To' the Editor.f

Sir,—ln his1 pre-sesslonal address, Mr. Robert McKeen, M.P. for Wellington South, stated that two great difficulties existed in so far as the Government Housing Scheme was concerned, one of which was the lack, of seasoned timber. . There is no shortage of seasoned building timber in Wellington, whatever might in Mr. McKeen's opinion exist elsewhere; in fact, the timber merchants -of Wellington City hold heavier stocks of seasoned timber today than have been carried for years past and, further, this stock position is general throughout the Dominion. What Mr. McKeen should have stated was that the large firm which has received the. contract to build the majority of houses un,der the Government Housing Scheme is short of seasoned timber, because it has endeavoured to undertake the functions of the legitimate timber merchants whose business it is to provide the timber requirements of the builder. Can Mr. McKeen explain why the other builders who were successful in obtaining the contract for the small groups of houses have had no trouble in obtaining all their timber supplies from the local merchants?

The answer to this query will surely then enable him to assist his Government in removing at least one of the two obstacles which he infers is so vital to the tremendous problem of housing.—l am, etc.,

GEO. COOK, President, Wellington Timber Merchants' Association.