CROWN TIMBER FIGHTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13234, 20 July 1906, Page 6

CROWN TIMBER FIGHTS.

QUESTION OF THREE YEARS' ,

SUPPLY.

With reference to the question of Crown timber rights raised in a communication from our Northern Wairoa correspondent, who stated that the regulations were read by some to demand.that the mills for which, timber supplies were granted should be run continuously or supplies forfeited, and that the Kauri Timber Company -having, closed the Aratapii mill and sold, the Onehunga mill, the question had arisen whether it should not bo compelled to either resume running or . forfeit supplies, the secretary of the Kauri Company, Mr. Milroy, stated to a Herald representative yesterday that on May's, 1904, in response. to Government, adj vertisements . the company lodged tenders for 27,000, of timber for the supply of he Aratapu, Te .Kopuru, and Onehunga mills. : At tho end of July of the same year tenders for 7,000,000 ft were accepted. For sortie of the lots then put up lower tenders than those lodged by the company were accepted. Besides the 7,000,000 ft mentioned 110 other Government timber had been 'allotted to the company for those mills up to the present Hate. The capacity of the three mills referred to was 36,500, per annum. "A contract fo. working the timber was at, once let. Arrangements were completed on October 6, 1904-.'-and' work was started immediately, and had been carried on industriously ever since, and yet. up to June 30, 1906, the company had only received ■303,000 ft, of logs from the timber then purchased, that was, three days' supply for the three mills. At the time the tenders were lodged for these lots in 1904 the company had in logs available, in creeks and standing timber, 61,000, for the three mills— that was, under two years' supplyand even if it had got, the whole of, the timber for which it then tendered the supply would have been less than three years for the three mills.

"When the regulations referred to were made it was laid down as a principle that bona-fide sawmill owners should bo entitled to hold a three years' supply for their mills; 'so that evidently the company did not get its full share. Further than this, the present enforced stoppage of the Wairoa mills proved the utter inadequacy : of a three years' supply of: timber, which was becoming more emphasised as tho timber to be dealt with got further back from the mills and shipping points, so that, it had; a long way to travel and the deliveries were always uncertain and precarious.. Every kauri tree possessed by the company in the Wairoa was Tindftf contract for delivery, so that itwas absolutely demonstrated that a three years' supply was entirely inadequate. The company protested ; strenuously at the time the regulations came into force that it could not keep its mills running on a three years" supply, but 110 attention was paid to the protest. The company had now less than three years' supply of timber for the one remaining mill, and but for the timber which was now coming forward as a result of the freshes during the last few days the Te Kopuru mill would have been put on halftime forthwith, as the timber was within a very few weeks of being absolutely cut out. Had the Aratapii mill been kept going it would have been cut out long ago, and both mills would now have been standing idle. This, he considered, would be contrary to the interests of the company and likewise to the interests of the workers. With regard to the Onehunga mill, the company had been to short of "log supplies in the Wairoa that it had not been able to send any logs from there to Onehunga. As it seemed hopeless to attempt to convince the Government that the company had no' adequate supplies to keep the mills going the company was reluctantly compelled to dispose of the Onehunga mill. Even with the logs coming out now unless the company get further, considerable deliveries there was every probability that before the mine, was over the Te Kopuru mill would either closed down for want of logs or wili be working half capacity. If the company could purchase sufficient timber it would be only too glad, to keep both the j liatapu and To Kopuru "mills going, and it must, be obvious to any business man that it did not pay to keep mills standing' idle.