TIMBER FOR AUSTRALIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 August 1946, Page 4

TIMBER FOR AUSTRALIA

EAST COAST SHIPMENTS SMALL MINISTER’S EXPLANATION Only small quantities of timber are at present being shipped from east coast- ports to Sydney and Melbourne; said the Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr. Sullivan, writing to the Westland Progress League in connection with its opposition to the use of east and not west coast ports for the loading of timber for Australia.

This timber was forwarded, said the Minister, in vessels carrying general cargo to and from South Island ports and Australia, and continually employed ifi this trade. It would not be feasible to direct these vessels to Greymouth as it was necessary for them to call regularly at South Island main ports to discharge and load general cargo of vital importance. In addition, two of the vessels, on account of their size, could not in any case work the port of Greymouth.

■No arrangements had been made to ship any large quantity of timber to Adelaide, he added, and at present only one vessel is employed trading from Wellington and the South Island to South Australia. In view of the urgency of the cargo awaiting shipment, this vessel could not afford the serious delay involved in loading and discharging a cargo of timber. The shipping controller, however, had undertaken to arrange a loading at Greymouth at a later date for an Australian port if this was at all possible. The Shipping Controller, Mr. J. Gilbert, forwarded a letter couched in almost identical terms, and also indicating that if it was possible to arrange a timber loading at Greymouth at a later date for an Australian port, it would be done.

“A real Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera,” commented the Secretary, Mr. J. Saunders. He added that the Greymouth waterside workers were also concerned at the present method of shipping timber to Australia through Lyttelton and Bluff, and had indicated to him that they would protest against the system through their own channels.

Mr. Saunders added that the Forestry committee had discussed the subject and had suggested that sawmillers had the remedy in their own hands. It had been suggested that if West Coast sawmillers concentrated their output on supplying South Island markets, the position would soon rectify itself. It was decided to seek again a reply from the Timber Controller to the League’s protests and to ask the Forestry committee of the League for a report.