HEART TIMBER SHORTAGE

Evening Star, Issue 21054, 17 March 1932, Page 1

HEART TIMBER SHORTAGE

MERCHANTS DENY ALLEGATIONS THE HOLY CROSS COLLEGE DELAY “ Any hold-up in connection with th§ Holy Cross College work at Mosgiei cannot be attributed to a shortage of heart timber,” stated members of the Dunedin Timber Merchants’ Associa-, tion this morning. Tho delay in the delivery of the timber was due to the failure of a local timber agent, not a' member of the association, to supply the timber as ordered after six weeks’i time. The statement in an article in Tuesday’S issue that New Zealand sawmillers had been unable to supply to time certain timbers containing 100 per cent, heart has caused grave concern to members of the Dunedin Merchants’ Association, many of whom are also sawmillers, and their authority has been granted to state that tho whole of the order for the college work would have been gladly accepted by any. one of them, with a guarantee of delivery of dry-run 100 per cent, heart’ flooring ex their yards immediately, and' structural timber containing 100 per, cent, heart within three weeks of place-, ment of order, or in ample time to meet' all requirements of the contract. The timber merchants feel that it is unfair to state that an order could not be executed because possibly it was beyond tbe ability of one sawmiller to do so. Another statement made, on whai should have been sufficient authority,! which is contrary to fact, is that, according to Government grading 50 pet cent, heart is generally considered “ all heart.” This is not so, stated the merchants. There are two grades of heart recognised by the Government Department—viz., heart (which must be 100 per cent, heart) and medium heart (which must be at least 50 per cent, heart, and must show 25 per cent, at any cross section).