KAURI TIMBER INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18235, 31 October 1922, Page 5

KAURI TIMBER INDUSTRY.

! AN INSTRUCTIVE PICTURE. j BOTABIAN SPECTATORS. As instructive insight into the kauri | timber industry was given to members j of the Auckland Rotary Club and their ! guests at thß weekly luncheon 'in the j Town HaU yesterday by means oi * cine- . i maiograph. picture screened by Mr. Phil ; j Hayward» The president. Mr. Charles j Ehodeu, occupied the chair. | j By way of preface to the film Mr. W. , ; B. Lev? sad- said it depicted chiefly the _ j operatic- is oi the Kauri Timber Company. It brought to notice some of the problems, ! risks, and costs which had to be faced Iby bush contractors, and helped onf lookers to realise some of the fascination s j of the work la tha kauri forests. _ The s j picture showed the primeval conditions i ! in the bush and - the fighting that had s ; to be done to surmount many great diffis I culties- One feature of the film war the 5 j tripping of a dam. This had been lione 5 j especially for the picture. Usually the i j tripping wag done ok- top oi the' freiibefc. 3 ! and generally at night. They 'to-old s | imagine what the work was like in a : I howling north-easter and in thick dark | ness, in which only experienced bushmen i | could find their way. Mr. Ley land asked I i those present to. note tha mea'engaged m > j the industry. They were, he said, tfee ; j finest set of workmen in the country. ■ j Their liven were full cf strenuous labour i ! and many difficulties, but. they met aiS i i calls. Tiiey were the best paid and best | fed "workers in New Zealand. They dei served to be, and they had no anion. {Applause.) ! The first portion of the. picture dealt j with the bush region of the Bay of ' Plenty, showing pack horses carrying | stores" through prwripitous country. The j I scene thvn moved to tne aitakere ranges, j I and there were shown some fine general j views of the forest, with the _ majestic i kauris rearing 'their heads high above j their neighbours. Impressive to s degree I was the picture of a msgaiSsent kauri 1 of huge girth and height, known as the j " grand old mini " of tfca forest. This j tree has been growing for 2000 years, and j is estimated to contain ii3,oooffc. of timj her. Adjacent to it were seen other ] monster kauris, which, however, looked j small in comparison with the first one. j Tree felling operations in the bosh were j next screened, the £allen kauris Deing i see.i roiling into the waterways below. ; 1 personal note was introduced by some Sunday scenes in cainp : incidental to ' which "was a chopping competition by two i busfemen of sturdy physique. Beautiful I bush scenes, with tree felling in progress i over a dig 300 ft. high, led to the thrill- ! ing scene of the film. This was the. tap- ! tnng referred to by Wt. Leylaad- Great ; logs were first seen lying in the _ dpi gorge which had been blasted out oi the ! rock. Subsequently, in full view, the j pent-up waters in a great t?am were -e- ; leased and went hurtling down into the ! gorge, the torrent fioatinff the logs as it j ruiihed down to sea IfveL I The final section of the film dealt with the transport of the logs to the timber ! mills, by rail and motoT-tmck. and per | medium of the bullock team. The speciaI tors were then given a glimpse of the interior of aa Auckland sawmill, witn its ! up-to-date machinery and saws. _ The i i whole proved very instructive and inierI Citing.