TIMBER FOR SCHOOLS

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 July 1931, Page 12

TIMBER FOR SCHOOLS

PREFERENCE TO N.Z. PRODUCTS.

“The Board does not use any more imported timber than is absolutely necessary,” the architect to the Canterbury Education Board (Mr G. Penlington) said, replying to complaints made at the meeting of the Canterbury School Committtees’ Association that New Zealand-timber was not used enough in school building. “Those people do not know what they are talking about when they make statements like that,” he said. New Zealand timber was used wherever possible. The imported timber put into schools would be only about 5 per cent, at the most. He denied the statement that imported timber was used for joists and ceiling fillets. New Zealand timbers were used, and practically the only purposes for which imported timbers were used were for joinery work, sashes in particular, and for beams, where strength had to be combined with length. New Zealand timbers were not in some instances suitable for particular work. This was particularly so where the wood had to be exposed to weather, and for outside doors, foreign timbers were being used. For inside doors, though, local timber was preferred. The Board made every effort to use New Zealand timber, but it had to be remembered that \it was not suitable for all purposes. When, for instance, some doors made of West Coast timber were sent to a West Coast school recently the staff was asked to explain why it had sent such heavy doors! The new class rooms at the Sydenham school would include some imported timber, but the majority of it would be local product. That was general in all schools.