A BRIGHTER TONE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 42, 18 January 1936, Page 2

A BRIGHTER TONE.

KING COUNTRY CONDITIbNS. TAUMARUNUI, Jan. 16. Now that the holiday season is over all the sawmills in the King Country from Mangapaebi to E: ua have resum.d cutting, the result being that very ew men who follow this particular class of work are out of employment, and thousands of feet of timber are being cut daily from rimu, totara and ka- ■ likatea. Hie month prior to the holiday’s was particularly busy as far as die export of timber from the King Country was concerned, and it is estimated that ever one million feet of sawn timber will be railed from National Park station alone this month. The unemployed list in Taumarunui at the present time is much smaller than it was this time last year and ,vith the building trade sail active there is a distinct shortage oi carpenters. Farm labour is also scarce and during the harvesting season men were earning as much as 4s per hour. Metalling contracts are being carried out in different parts of the Taumarunui County and when the six miles of metalling is completed at Taringamotu the settlers living in the Mangakahu Valley will have good access from their holds to Taumarunui. the straightening of the Taumaru-nui-Stratford main highway near Aukopae was commenced before the holidays and when the work is completed several sharp corners will be done away with and motorists will have better visibility. The work includes large cuttings and fillings. The straightening of. the Te Kuiti-Bulls main highway, near Marpiu, lias absorbed a large number of men who, in spite of having to live away from home, are making better wages than they were when they were on relief work. Authority has been obtained by the Ohura County Council for two large metalling contracts, the most important being the Niho Niho-Toitoi Road. When this work is completed settlers living on the road will have all-weather access to Ohura and Taumarunui. During the past few weeks workmen have been busily engaged dismantling Messrs G. Gardner and Sons’ sawmill at Hukapapa for removal to a point 12 miles on the Taupo side of the Tarawera Hotel on the Napier-Taupo Road, where the firm has secured a large tract of milling bush. Two large sawmills are being erected in the King Country—one at Tuliua for Messrs Ray Winger, Ltd., and the other hear Tokaanu for the Lake. Timber Co. The former will cut timber on Mr 0. Filler’s property and the latter in a large block secured from the natives through the Aotea Maori Land Board.