TIMBER EXPORTS

Grey River Argus, 13 November 1935, Page 2

TIMBER EXPORTS

FROM NEW ZEALAND. (Per Press Association' CHRISTCHURCH, November 8. “The demand for rimu in Australia is satisfactory and is showing a moderate but steady increase in. respect to Adelaide and Melbourne,” said Mr. A. Seed, Secretary of the New Zealand Sawmillers* Federation. The demand for ordinary (sapwood) matai in Australia has shown considerable improvement in the past year, mainly for Sydney, in sizes suitable for flooring and lining purposes. But in respect to this demand the difference in building practice in Australia and in the Dominion in respect to flooring sizes is presenting some difficulty. In Australia the demand for flooring timber 13 almost entirely in widths of 44in and 61 in. by lin. to finish the exact 4in. and 6in. width of surface when dressed, whereas the custom in New Zealand is to use 4 and Gin. in the roughsawn size, giving a finished dressed surface of 34 and 51 in. Consequently with the current heavy demand in New Zealand for 4in and 6in. widths in heart matai, it is practically impossible concurrently to produce 4}in and 6jin widths of ordinaiy quality for Australia. “Hence an effort is to be made by the New Zealand Sawmillers’ Federation to induce New Zealand architects and the building trade generally to accept 44 and 6jin widths for flooring sizes so that the production will fit in with the demand for ordinary quality in Australia. “There is no doubt that every town in New Zealand must build. The house shortage 13 probably more acute now than it was immediately after the war. The present extra demand for the building up of stocks will slacken off as the stocks are built up to the required volume so that the extra cutting now going into stock will be available to meet the expected increase due to accelerated building activity.” He added that Sydney demand for red pine was not now as big as anticiated, because there are considerable quantities of locally produced cypress pine available in Sydney markets. Cypress pine, although a very knotty and inferior timber in appearance, has the marked advantage of being prvrf against white-ant. Most Syd 1-y timber merchants supplying the ouilding trade either own or have interests in upcountry cypress pine mills. The total quantity of New Zealand timber exported in 1933 was 25,829,401 feet valued £237,503, and these f;gores were increased for 1934 to 34,530,279 ft. valued at £320,527. There is every indication that the improvement in the export demand is likely to continue.