TIMBER INDUSTRY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 9 April 1934, Page 2

TIMBER INDUSTRY

BENEFITS THROUGH BUILDING SUBSIDY ’ \ ] AUSTRALIAN MARKET Beginning from the last part of i 933, and up to the first few months of the present year, there has been a better state of activity in the sawmills throughout New Zealand, according to Mr A. Seed, secretary of the New Zealand Sawmillers’ Federation. Mr Reed told The Dominion” that this was largely due to :1m operation of the recent builcfing subsidy scheme of the Unemployment Board. Although there were many large city buildings still under construction under the scheme, the majority of the smaller building jobs, such as cottages, were now completed, lie said. Since about a month ago there had been a very decided falling-off in orders and inquiries for timber, and it seemed certain that this was on account of the cessation of the scheme. “With regard to the timber exporttrade .this is still in a fairly healthy condition,” Mr Seed said. '.‘Tile inquiries for _ white pine in Australia have been slightly better than usual at this time of the year. The recent decision of the Australian authorities to insist upon the use of either New Zealand white pine or certain Australian pines coated with a non-tainting preparation for butter boxes for the export trade will probably be a good help for the New Zealand timber industry. “The increased degree of building activity in most of the Australian centres is now being reflected in a distinctly better demand for New' Zealand riniu for flooring, and lining. There is a reasonable expectation that rimu timber, and to a lesser extent matai, will gradually displace the huge quantities of Baltic timbers that Australia has been importing for these purposes. Because of the tariff Canada had lost her Australian market.” Further shipments of silver beech were being made to bo* h Australia and England, and the reports on file previous shipments were very satisfactory, Air Seed continued. The merits of this timber for motor-body building were receiving an increased amount of attention and appreciation in overseas markets. This did not include the motorcar industry in the United States, where owing to tiie smaller intended life of the cars, good quality wood was not generally required. ' With the execution of what lie called j. “popular fad” in Japanese oak, Mr Send said that New Zealand at the present time was importing hardly any timber. There was a demand for Japanese oak for furniture—it went usualiv under the name of British oak—and tins was in spite of the fact that it was a distinctly inferior wood, and was prone to attack l>v borer. Regarding depletion of New Zealand forests, Air Seed remarked (hat, while the subject was too wide to cover In icily, in bis opinion there was at the present time no cause for concern.