TIMBER INDUSTRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3772, 29 June 1926, Page 72

TIMBER INDUSTRY.

POSITION AT CATLINS. INVERCARGILL, June 23. A somewhat gloomy account of the timber industry in Otago at the present time was given by Mr Thomas O’Byrne, secretary of the Sawmill Workers’ Union, this afternoon on his return from a visit to the Catlins district. He reported that not only was the industry exceptionally quiet,* but only half the men were being employed, when a comparison was made with the number working during the corresponding month of last year. In some cases mills had had to be closed; while others were carrying on with a minimum staff. In each instance, and from what he had been able to gather, the principal cause of such a position was the excessive importation of foreign timbers. Mr O’Byrne further mentioned that, while he was at Tahakopa, a meeting of timber workers had been held, and the Government had been strongly condemned for not having taken action to prevent the excessive importation of these timbers. The present serious state of affairs was causing great anxiety throughout the industry, and it was his opinion that at the half-yearly meeting of the union,* to be held in Invercargill next Saturday afternoon, some definite step would have to be taken to impress upon the Government the urgent necessity of grappling with the problem of importations, which in a large measure had aggravated the unemployment situation throughout the country.