OREGON IMPORTATIONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 July 1908, Page 2

OREGON IMPORTATIONS

The first petition, having for its object the urging on the Government of the desirability of increasing the import duty on Oregon pine in order to conserve the dominion’s markets for the New Zealand miller, has now been completed and is ready for presentation to the Minister. The petition, in a concise manner, sets out the imminent danger to the West Coast trade and is as follows: —“We the undersigned workers of the Waterside Worker’s Union, Greymouth, respectfully approach you in regard to the calamitous outlook for this important quarter of the dominion as a sure consequence of the heavy shipments of Oregon pine which have been and are now being received into the principle ports of New Zealand. Our representation of the position is intended to be urged simply ns it affects our own body, without attempting to deal with the disastrously widespread results, which are even now being felt by the timber producers, and the community of this province generally. The timber export from the port of Greymouth is a direct source of employment to quite three-fourths of the membership of our Union, and its forced curtailment will affect our earning channels to so great an extent that our present strength of numbers, 75 per cent of whom are married, could not possibly derive sufficient wages for the maintenance of themselves and families. We feel that the red pine timber sawmilling of this district is an industry which has largely contributed to the community’s general prosperity and, it is necessary for us to dwell upon this most potent and vital shock which is being dealt that industry by the advent, into our producer’s longestablished markets of American timber, produced by cheap coloured labor under laws (both labour and shipping) which are conspicuously anti-British, the prospect of our usual means of

livelihood being maintained, is so dark and melancholy that we, your petitioners, humbly pray for such immediate increase of the import duty on American timbers as will effectually protect our industry against the canker which is surely and steadily working to its core.” The petition, which deals with the situation more particularly from (ho Labor aspect of the question, has been signed by two hundred wharf laborers who have dependent on them four hundred persons, making a total of nearly 600 residents who are affected. The document will be forwarded by Mr John Keating, acting secretary of the Wharf Labourer’s Union, to Wellington where it will be presented (o the Commissioner of Customs. Another petition will, wo understand, bo circulated during the forthcoming week and it is to be hoped that this will bo largely signed, as the outlook is such that the Cabinet must be forced to take action this session.