THE TIMBER TRADE AT HOME.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1196, 1 February 1895, Page 19

THE TIMBER TRADE AT HOME.

The Department of Industries and Commerce have just received from the AgentGeneral two more reports from the timber expert (Mr James Freyberg). Writing on the 7th December, he says that with a view to the Government being placed in the best possible position for utilising its vast resources in timber, he has obtained the latest illustrated books of machinery for “ wood working ’’ from England, Germany, America and Denmark, and these he is sending out to the department. He lays great stress upon cutting timber to a “ New Zealand standard,” so that it may bo fit for. immediate use. If that were done the reckoning of quantities and cost would be simply seven slabs for each hundred feet at the price agreed upon. He also mentioned that he has worked out a scheme for “utilising all the wood so wastefully burnt by the settlers,” and that upon his return to New Zealand at the termination of his engagement he will submit the details to the Government.

The second report is dated the 14th of December. Mr Freyberg states that a company with considerable capital has been formed in London to unite the conflicting interest of jarrah and karri, so as to increase the European trade in both these Australian woods. He then proceeds as follows : ‘How New Zealand proposes to deal with the vested interests, sure sooner or later to attack us ? and a fair estimate of our opponent’s power is not altogether unnecessary. Firstly, there are some millions of money invested in England in machinery which to a certain extent we shall supersede ; secondly, many millions are locked up in Russian wood already delivered here; thirdly, Russia will no doubt work actively to retain the paving trade, as the returns are immense. But is it impossible for us to adopt the Russian system ? select and cut our timber with the accuracy and care they do ? mark every plank sent out after it is measured and gauged P dividing it into first and second grade ? One thing is quite clear, it will never do to leave the shaping ancl cutting it into plank to the owners of the aforesaid machinery, the work must be done in New Zealand if we are to be independent of the sawmillers and timber merchants here. If we are to make and keep the trade, our timber must come over well selected, splendidly cut, and this must be apparent from the beginning. Our best argument in favour of our timber will be to carrv one of our well-cut slabs of wood into the vestry or municipal council, and we shall thus pass over our opponents. The Russian wood now in stock will soon be absorbed for building purposes. Besides, by our ‘New Zealand standard’ of seven planks to the 100 ft, the simplicity of our system will be instantly apparent, and there will be no waste. In the AgentGeneral’s despatch of the 6th of October, page 4, he quotes the remark of Herr Switzer Langbye, the Danish Timber Expert. For facility of reference I repeat it:— ‘ Owing to the manner jarrah is cut for shipment, there is a waste of over 40 per cent, in cutting it into blocks.’ Rather a serious matter when the cost first hand is <£6 12s 6d per load, and <£l more for haulage and cutting into blocks. This must never be said of New Zealand

slabs; we must supply (as the Russians do) well cut wood, quite square, - without waste, absolutely reliable as to size, quantity and quality. That every country is now alive to the coming- scarcity of timber can easily be seen by the uneasy action of all the Northern Powers. Norway, Sweden and Denmark are eagerly buying remote forests, and Russia contemplates bringing timber from Siberia, which will be very costly. Germany, last week, allotted 75,000 marks for attaching experts to her embassies at London, St. Petersburg, Washington, Paris and Vienna. Thus the necessity of organising our splendid resources and putting them on the best possible footing is, I hope, made perfectly clear, and this should be done without any loss of time or we shall lose our proper place in the race. Jarrah, karri, ironbark and stringy bark have taken a firm footing in the market, and there is plenty of room for our woods.” Two official circulars have just been printed to the order of the Government, and will at once be issued by the Department of Industries and Commerce to sawmillers throughout the Colony. The larger and more important one, after pointing out that there is a considerable demand in England for timber suitable for street-paving and other purposes, proceeds as follows : that the sawmillers in the Wellington, Hawke’s Bay, Kaipare, Southland and West Coast Districts should each forward a shipment of 100,000 ft (making in all 500,000 ft), with a view of introducing the New Zealand timbers into the English market. It is suggested by the Government expert in England that the timbers to be selected should consist of rimu, redbirch, puriri, matai and kauri. Should you be willing to co-operate with the sawmillers in your district, and forward a trial shipment to England, the Government will direct the Agent-General to take charge of the timber on its arrival, and see that the sales are conducted in a manner calculated to further your interests in every way ; and, upon the sales being concluded, if the results should from v any circumstances prove unsatisfactory, and any loss occur, the Government will be prepared to guarantee an amount equal to half the cost of the freight. The Government, however, stipulate that the price fixed by the sawmillers for their timber must not exceed that at which contracts have been entered into by the Railway Department—viz., rimu, 6s; red birch, 9s 6d; kauri, 10s ; puriri, «£1; and matai, 11s 6d —and that before being shipped the timber should be seasoned, and must be inspected and passed by a Government officer to be appointed for that purpose. The timber should be of the best quality, sound, straight and straight-grained ; sawn true and die-square, and free from knots, shakes, bark-seams, wavy edges, sap-wood and other defects. The timber to be cut in the following dimensions : —Lengths, 10ft, 12ft and 14<ft in equal proportions ; and to be 9in by 3in in section (9in x 3in), or of such other special dimensions as would commend the same for building purposes or for making furniture.” It is also notified that the offers of the Government, contained in a previous circular, to purchase timber for shipment to England are now cancelled. The second circular points out the desirableness of establishing a standard to which all New Zealand timber for streetpaving purposes shall be cut. It also gives on that head the following extract from one of the timber expert’s reports :“ I would suggest that all slabs should be cut 6ft 4sin long, 9in wide and 3in thick. Thus seven slabs would give 100 ft 4 10-12 in, or, allowing for saw kerfs, it would be 100 ft net. This would simplify measuring, help the trade, and give us a New Zealand standard, besides furnishing a ready mode of reckoning, as 42 slabs would be one load, and 70 slabs 1000 ft. It would place the timber-paving industry on a very simple basis; those sizes also could be easily handled.”