INCREASED DUTY WANTED.

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 July 1908, Page 1

INCREASED DUTY WANTED.

IMPORTATION OF OREGON TIMBER. LABOUR'S COMMENT. On Monday, at the Waterside Workers' Conference, Mr J. Jackson (Greymouth), (as was briefly reported in our telegrams at the time) referred to the largo importations of Oregon timber which were coming into Now Zealand, to the detriment, it was alleged, of local timber. There was, lie said, a proposal on the part of merchants to get the duty reduced. If this was dono it would seriously effect the interests of 2500 engaged in the timber industry on the coast, and of these, two hundred men were waterside workers. If they allowed timber to come from America, shipped under conditions which would not be allowed in New Zealand—ships loaded nearly to the masthead with timber, worked by black and coloured labour, and cut at a rato at which they could not possibly live in this country—the effect would bo serious. If this timber came into Greyniouth, to the displacement of the local timber, it would effect 180 men working on the wharves, and only some thirty of forty of them would be left to do the work. He moved :—•

"That this conference urge upon the Government the necessity of increasing the import duty on Oregon timber, in order to protect our own timber industry. Mr IL Voyco (LyMelton)' observed that this Oregon pine was going to effect workers generally. He would like to see the dutv made almost prohibitive. Mr Jones (Wellington) referred to a four masted schooner which had come to Wellington, carrying as much timber on deck as below . Only one man working on tho Wellington wharf was employed. Tho crew of the ship were engaged in discharging, and men permanently engaged in the yards were sent down to the ship, the reason being given that they only were capable of distinguishing the various marks. This, certainly, could have been left to the intelligence of tho men on the wharf. (Hear, hear.) He would like to see all vessels coming to Wellington prohibited from working cargo with their own crews. Mr Gibb (Auckland) said he was in sympathy with the proposal, but they had the work of discharging Oregon pine at Auckland themselves, only one man coming from the merchant to sop arato the various marks. Tho motion was carried after further discussion.