White Pine Market Causing Concern To Coast Millers

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 February 1949, Page 4

White Pine Market Causing Concern To Coast Millers

Concern at the state of the market in respect of certain grades of white pine was expressed at the annual meeting of the West Coast Sawmillers’ Association, which was held at Hokitika on Friday. It was reported that no difficulty was being experienced by the West Coast mills in disposing of their first class pine, for tallow casks, but extreme difficulty was being encountered in marketing No.. 2 and N 0.3 box grades, owing to the competition from the imported fibre butter boxes. Reference was made to the representations being made to the Government by the New Zealand Timber Workers’ Union, which is concerned at the effect the box importations are having on the butter box-making industry and it was decided to take no action pending the outcome of these representations. The other sections of the trade, it was stated, were satisfactory, although advice was awaited regarding the possibility of further shipments cf rimu to Australia from Greymouth this year. Progress was still being made with the sawmillers’ housing scheme in the province and several ntvV applications for houses had recently been approved. Mr A. L. McKay, of Greymouth, was unanimously re-elected chairman of the association and appreciation of his efforts on behalf of the industry generally during the past year was recorded.