THE MANGAWAI TIMBER TRADE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8064, 27 September 1887, Page 6

THE MANGAWAI TIMBER TRADE.

Our Mangawai correspondent writes :—A alight apart in the timber trade is now causing a little more activity in the bashes, especially those of Messrs. Manders and Coatee and Co. In these bashes the outlay has been considerable. Mr. Smythe, the principal contractor, has ueveral hands employed, as may be seen by the camps and hats along the route of the creek, the only highway used. Mr. Manders occupies the principal site for business on the inlet from the Kaipara waters called Stewart's Bay. Here may be seen several houses for the men, the jetty, tram, and store. Higher on the bank stands the owner's residence. The tram goes a considerable way into the bush, passing Mr. Curtis' publichouse, where upon large boards are painted, " Danger! Look out for the engine," and, "Stop!" warning all of the danger of the crossing here to Maungaturoto. A steam* engine at one time hauled the trucks to and from the bashes, bat the depression in the timber trade caused the necessity of its removal, and many hands were then dia» missed. At the end of the tram is a large receiving dam, where a considerable quantity of first-class logs are floating, ready to be hauled oat and pat on the tramoar* to be taken to the bay, and shipped for foreign markets. At a further distance higher up she creek is another dam, 80 feet long, sacking up a considerable quantity of water. Between the two dams were lying numbers if logs of very superior quality, as straight n the grain and free from shakes and flaws is the most particular buyers could expect, nanrellously free from sap—in fact, so free ;hat in squaring only the corners of the logi ihow that there was any sap at all The limber in these bashes is generally of good engfch, but in some parts the trees run tc ;he enormous length of 120 feet. I believt 10 timber in the country can beat tn< limber in these bushes. All was activity iere, and also at Messrs. Coates and Co. vh.ere an enormous log was being hauled b»

a very Ions; team ot bullocks, with som< five or six drivers and the two or three jack men ever on the look-oat for assisting with their jacks the efforts of the bullooks to get the log to its destination. The oraokiug ol whips, the shouting of the drivers, and thi ever and anon " boom" of the logs as the] were rolled into the oreeka and struck othei logs gave a very good idea of the amount oi business going on. The day I was then three unfortunates injured themselves, twc with axes, and the third got a crash of the foot between some logs, and has to use crutches. All are expected to recover in a short time, I am happy to say. I believe the injured ones are of Mr. Smythe's party, to whose hospitality I was indebted for the night. Messrs. Manders and Go. are about fixing a sawmill near the end of the tram, with the idea, I presume, of cutting ap the timber for export into more handy and portable size than in shipping such heavy and unwieldly logs to market. Where the appliances for moving them are few and few and far between, it is a matter of course that many buyers in other markets would prefer junk to logs, especially when their business lies in the interior of the country; in fact, there are more buyers of timber sawn than nnsawn, and the profit* would be much more considerable.