Increase in Timber Prices

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 60, 12 March 1938, Page 4

Increase in Timber Prices

QUESTION IN PARLIAMENT Per Press Association WELLINGTON, Last Night. In the course of an urgent question to the Alinister of Industries and Commerce (Hon. D. G. Sullivan) in Parliament, Air. Hultquist (Govt.. —Buy of Plenty) asked whether he had seen a recently’ published statement that, following cn the increase of 10 per cent. ( i: wages of timber workers grunted last week it had been decided by the ! industry, after investigation by Government officials, to increase the prices of timber by 10 per cent, overall. In practice the increase on lines in demand will be as much as 20 per cent. Mr. Hultquist also asked whether the Alinis--1 ter would take steps to see that the 1 timber industry did n t exploit the consuming pubic by an unwarranted increase ni the price of timber on the I grounds that wages had been increased. 1 Air. Sullivan, :n reply, said the press 1 statement referred te by Air. Hultquist 1 was incorrect in a most important aspect in that the nett average increase in the price of building timbers was 5 per cent, overall, not 10 per cent. On only one grade cf timber was the increase as great as 20 per cent., while on many lines there was no increase at all.