TIMBER COMMISSION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2879, 19 May 1909, Page 16

TIMBER COMMISSION.

AUCKLAND SITTINGS. AUCKLAND, May 7. The Timber Commission commenced taking Auckland evidence this morning. E. Phelan, representing the Timber Workers' Union, of 1800 members, said there were 63 mills in Auckland district, which produced over 212 million superficial feet of timber yearly. There were 2655 men employed in the mills, exclusive of bushmen. He estimated the amount of standing timber in this district in millions of sujjerficial feet as follows :—: — Kauri 375, rimu 993, kahikatea 642, totara 100, matai 810, miscellaneous 131. Deducting a years output, ho estimated that the total was 4841 million superficial feet, which was equal to about nineteen years' supply. There was a slump in the industry, but kauri was not affected. He did noL believe it was possible to conserve the kauri forests. The land was more valuable than the timber on it. An export duty on kauri would kill the country mills. Royalties and freights should be uniform throughout the Dominion. In the - past ten years the cost of milling timber had increased 25 to 35. per cent. He believed in a State saw-mill, and the regulation of the price of timber by a parliamentary committee. Theophilus De Schryver, representing the Imperial Export Company of Canada, said formerly Oregon pine was sold here at 70s per thousand feet. The freight was 255, so that the price realised was 455. At that price it paid, but exporters were not satisfied ; they wanted more, and so the price had gone up to 13dol, •which was 54s to 555. The freight now was 355, so that the price now landed here 'was about 90s. He did not think that at that price trade would increase. The wages paid in America were : Loggers (bnshmen), 16s 8d per day ; hook lenders, 20s lOd per day ; donkey engineers, £15 12s 6d per month ; sawyers, 20s lOd per day ; ordinary hands, 10s 6d ; aliens, 7s 4d per day. Wages would rise this year. He had sold Oregon at prices up to 105s, and for certain purposes they would always have to intport it. — To Mr , Mander : Large areas were bought in America at comparatively very cheap rates. \t coet more to send a cargo from Auckland to Dunedin than from Vancouver to Auckland. New Zealand timber was admitted free in Canada. If business men here were awake, they would send a man there to create a market for kauri and rimu. — To Mr Field : New Zealand woods were more brittle than Cana v dian woods. The bearing strain of Ore-, gon was greater than that of kauri. There ■fiad been no dumping here. Prices had fallen because holders wanted to realise, fcut they had never fallen sufficiently to make a los.->. William Johns, builder, said that rimu could be sold a lot cheaper than it '.ri!s in Auckland only that a ring existed, "Which wp? keeping the price of rimu up

I for the sake of kauri. He thought from a builder's point of view that it was one of the grandest things that had ever happened when they got Oregon into this country. I George Stephens, staircase maker, advocated the importation of timber. ■ May 8. George A. Pearce. chairman of the South Auckland Sawmillers' Association, said that millers complained that it was unfair that the Lands Department should treat them rather as sharpers than as business men. The royalties were quite unreasonable, and he complained of harassing delays in giving access to busli kinds. Timber on good land ought to be cut and the land settled. The railway charges on timber were exorbitant, and the department's attitude towards the industry was liostiLe. The import duty on logs should be greatly increased. All waste lands should be planted with fact-growing trees. May 10. At the Timber Commission to-day Kermun Coupe, manager of the Taupo Totara Sawmilling Company, did not think any good would result from an export duty on kauri and white pine. He held that the timber industry required protection by the impost of a tax on foreign timber. One shilling per hundred feet would only increase the cost of a cottage £8. The ' conservation of bush in the face of advancing settlement was impossible. If the import duty on foreign pine was not increased, many sawmills would be closed. Competition would be keener and prices would advance. TheTe should be no free importation at all — not even logs. David Goldie, timber merchant, stated that he did not consider that the present price of timber was excessive when the heavy expenses and risks of the millers were taken into account. It was absurd to say that the present slump in the building trade was due to the high price of timber. It was folly to talk of con- , serving the kauri, and' he ridiculed the idea of placing an export duty on it. It ! would not save the kauri, as thousands of pounds worth was being destroyed every year by fire. The price obtained on exported timber enabled the millers to pay the existing high rate of wages. If ! an export duty was imposed, millers would • either have to reduce wages or stop milling to a large extent. He did not think the import duty on foreign timbers should be raised, as Oregon was now to some ' extent taking the place of medium kauri. ! which was hard to procure. He denied that there was a combine in the trade to Iteep the price of timber up. They , had an association, which agreed upon a schedule of prices, but this had not been ' adhered to by all the members. i | May 11. I When the Timber Commission resumed thi« morning, G. V. Roberts, an architect, with experience in California and New Zealand, paid that he had used Oregon pine continuously, and was astonished at its durability. It was the bett timber

in the world for building purposes. The best Oregon did not come here, but it was of very good quality on this market. Henry Valder, managing director of 1 Ellis and Burnard (Ltd.), said his firm ! cut about 1,500,000 ft per month, and era- . ployed between 300 and 400 men.' • Although tihe cost of living and provisions , had gone up of late years, the cost of filling — that is, from log to truck— had not gone up in the same proportion, owing to improved methods of haulage by steam instead of by bullocks. Steam haulage had made many parts of the bush accessible which were not previously co. For every 100 ft of timber produced his firm paid 5s 6d in wages ; consequently, for every 100 ft imported, that sum in wages was lost to the workers here. He thought an increased duty should be placed on long lengths of Oregon us well as on short lengths. They gave 17^ per cent, discount on the price fixed by the South Auckland Sawmillers' Association. He admitted that a number of small eaw- • millers in the Waikato and King Country j were in difficulties before the importation ' of Oregon pine commenced. I Mr Leyland :So Oregon pine is not re.sponsible for their difficulties? — Witness: j Not entirely. Nevertheless, it has had a bad effect upon the industry. j G. H. Norie, railway storekeepsr at I Newmarket, said he had great difficulty j in obtaining supplies of heart rimu and j kauri. He had placed orders three years ago which had not been executed yet. He admitted that the Government was very exacting in regard to quality. It had used a little Oregon, but the policy was to support local industry. The" Government used about 100,000 ft a month. About 18 months ago it had cancelled unfulfilled orders tor 1,100,000 ft of kauri. Since the importation of Oregon pine the supplies of kauri required by the Government had been coming forward more frsely. He favoured an export duty on kauri. May 12. In giving evidence before the Timber Commission to-day, the Hon. E. Mitohel-s-on, representing J.litchelson and Co., larjje timber exporters, said the coinpanv had not paid a dividend for the la^-t fiv^ year.>. though last year it made a profit of 9_i per cent, without allowing for depreciation. He opposed an export duty on kauii. which would close all the northern mills, and throw a large number of men out of employment without cheapening timber, which was at bedrock prices row. It was the purest nonsense to talk of the conservation of the bush in view of the insecurity from fire risks. He denied that timfi-^r was re-exported from Australia at prices "lower than charged here. He thought, the present duty on Oregon pine sufficient IT. P. Ksvanasrh, timber expert, smid the bush. #s]w>cially kauri. Ava« getting very !eii'o!f>. Therp was not much chance of kauri f.illins in price. lie e\i,ectc<J

to see it up to £2 per 100 ft. At the present rate of consumption be estimated that the supplies of kauri would be exhausted in from six to seven years, and other timbers on the present output would j be. exhausted in 22 years. No time | should be lost in afforestation. He did not favour imposing a duty on Oregon pine, believing that we should import, what timber was required. May 13. The Timber Commission concluded the taking of evidence in Auckland to-day. Mr T. H. White (mill manager for the Kauri Timber Company) said it was quite untrue that the high price of kauri meant large profits for the miller. The high price was due to the heavy charges on the raw material. There was no ring in the industry. As a kauri miller, he was not particularly interested in the Oregon question ; but, looking at the situation from the workers' point of view, he was decidedly of opinion that the import tax , should be increased. It stood to reason , that every million feet of foreign timber which came in displaced an equal quan- j tity of local timber and kept men out of J employment. Rimu was far better timber than Oregon pine. It would not be prac- j tical to conserve the kauri bush. He was , entirely opposed to an export tax on , kauri, which could not possibly benefit j anybody. He was strongly of opinion j that reafforestation should be pushed on [ vigorously. Mr T. Mahoney (architect) said that j between 1901 and 1907 the price of timber has gone up 30 per cent, to 35 per cent., . and of joinery 20 per cent, to 40 per cent. A cottage which he built in 1903 cost £260. He wished to build a similar cottage recently, and the lowest tender he could get was £538*— an increase of £78. He considered Oregon pise a thoroughly satisfactory timber for building purposes. He knew of houses built of Oregon pine 40 or 50 years ago which were as good now as ever they were. ! Mr E. Bartley (architect) gave evidence to the effect that it was very desirable to import Oregon. Local timber was not pioperly seasoned. j