TIMBER OUTPUT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23215, 8 December 1938, Page 16

TIMBER OUTPUT

CLOSING OF SAWMILLS , AVOIDING HOLIDAY PAY SHORTAGE OF SEASONED WOOD [BY TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] WELLINGTON, Wednesday The importance of maintaining supplies of timber wafc emphasised by the Minister of Labour, the Hon. H. T. Armstrong, to-day, referring to reports from Invercargill that it was tho intention of a number of sawmillers to close from December 9 until after the New Year. The Minister expressed the view that if these reports correctly indicated the proposals of tho sawmillers, some hundreds of miJl workers, who had rendered good service and been loyal to their employers throughout tho year would suffer tho hardship of losing a much-needed fortnight's wages at a time when it would be most appreciated by them. Mr. Armstrong added that this action would also deprive tho workers of paid holidays on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, to which they would otherwise bo entitled under tho Factories Act. Timber Shortage Difficulty

"Apart from tlieso personal considerations concerning the sawmillers' treatment of their employees during tho festive season," continued Mr. Armstrong, "I would emphasiso that there is in New Zealand at present a marked shortage of seasoned timber and the closing down of the mills for a fortnight would accentuate the shortage and create a further difficulty in the way of supplying the people of New Zealand with houses that are so much needod.

"On hearing of the report about tho proposed closing of the mills on December 9 I got in touch with the Housing Construction Department, which reports that builders are frequently in difficulties about securing supplies of dried timber, and that instead of seasoning timber at the mill a largo number of millers are selling it green and on trucks.

"I was informed further that the Housing Construction Department had been urged on several recent occasions by a number of builders to specify brick veneer or some other method of construction on account of the difficulty of obtaining well-seasoned timber. Accumulation of Stocks " The sawmillers will appreciate, therefore, that by closing down the source of tho supply of timber for a fortnight they would be creating conditions possibly not helpful to their own future market," continued tho Minister. "Certainly it would be difficult to maintain insistence on the utilisation of timber if it were a fact that the sawmillers were refusing to accumulate stocks for drying purposes." Mr. Armstrong added that in view of the importance which ho attached to tho matter both from the point of view of the sawmill workers and from other aspects mentioned, he had communicated by telephone to Marton with the president of tho Dominion Sawmillers' Association, Mr. J. A. Bush, who had undertaken to communicate with tho sawmillers, urging them not to close before the holidays.

"I strongly support the appeal which Mr. Bush is making," concluded Mr. Armstrong.