SCARCITY OF WHITE PINE

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4314, 25 March 1901, Page 7

SCARCITY OF WHITE PINE

STRONG DEMAND FROM AUS- - - ; V TRALIA. , j At thel dinner- tendered to two members of tho Industrial Association’s executive on Saturday evening, Mr W. Chalmers, the well-known master ;cooper, made some interesting ,in regard to the supply of white pine (timber. He said that when, he arrived in Wellington ' twenty-six or twenty-seven years ago white pine was looked upon as a use- 1 less timber. It was burned as if 'it were of no value. In the Wairarapa thousands of acres of white pine werei destroyed which, if standing- to-day, would be very valuable. He believed that, in ton or twelve years white pine! would surpass in price any New Zealand > timber except totara and kauri. Indeed, he thought it was likely even to surpass kauri in price. The Government,' he ‘had been informed, was to be approached by persons interested in the dairy industry with the object of seeing whether a stop could not be put to the wholesale export of white pine to the Australian colonies. It was very possible that the imposition of an export duty would be suggested. For tho cases used in the export; of butter there! was no timber in the World to equal white pine. One of its chief recommendations was that it was tasteless. That quality made it the best timber available for butter boxes. JETei had it on the authority of an Argentine merchant, who tried a great many varieties cl timber from different parts of America, that for butter boxes none) were found, to suit like New Zealand'white pine. It was galling to those in tho trade iin this colony to know that enormous ? forests of white pine were-even now-beiing destroyed. Settlers under the perpetual lease system had to get down a certain amount of timber in a given time, and that was one reason-why the destruction was still igoing On. The manufacture of butter boxes, casks, and tradesmen’s cases, from white pine had grown at a great rate. He supposed! that in Wellington, in a radius which would include! the meat works at Peltone, no fewer than 200,000 cases were made from white pine in a year. Sometimes a quarter of a million feet of white! pine timber came into his own yard in a month. He would be pleased to see steps taken to stop the destruction of the timber, and he thought representations on the subject from the Industrial Association might have weight with the Government. A sawmiller from the .West Coast had told him that the demand for white pine was so great that buyers- in Melbourne! had spontaneously offered a shilling more per hundred for the timber. As much as 8s 6d f.'o.b at Greymouth could be obtained for;white pine. The Government, he thought, might do something in the direction- of having the timber kept for the butter factories of New Zealand, and net for those in the Australian colonies. Mr P. Hutson said that when the timber gave out the clay-workers would come to the rescue with jars which, would be even less tasteless than cases of white; pine. Mr Chalmers said he was afraid the liability tb-breakager would be a-‘drawback to earthenware jars. " :