AMERICAN TIMBER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3773, 6 July 1926, Page 32

AMERICAN TIMBER.

IMPORTS MAY DECLINE. WELLINGTON. July 2. While there is some reason to believe that North American sawmillers will not continue to be able to sell oversea their lower grades at recent undercutting prices, the fact remains that New Zealand sawmills, like New Zealand freezing works, have the economic disadvantage of operating in small units, as compared with their competitors in America and Argentina respectively. It is believed that the American sawmiller’s increasing liability to get as high prices as he used to get for the sale of his higher grade timber in his home market may compel him to charge more for lower grades, in which case tne higher home price for the latter will leave him less margin for underselling in oversea markets like New Zealand. During the live months ended May 31, 1926, 27,000,000 feet b.m. of timber were imported into New Zealand, compared with almost 33,000,000 feet bm. imported during the corresponding period of 1925. Trade in poles and sleepers w*hich ; as explained last month had fallen considerably, this year again showed a decrease. Only three and one-third million feet b.m. have been imported this year, compared to 12,250,000 feet b.m. for the same period of last year, a dKirease of approximately 9,000,000 feet b.m. This indicated the curtailment of Government and local bodies’ buying activities. Movements in American soft woods are still active, alihoet 13.500,000 feet b.m. having been imported this year, compared to 10,500,000 feet b.m. for tne same period last year, an increase of over 3,000,000 feet b.m. for the month of May. The importations of cedar and hemlock were low compared with those for the previous months of this year. There is some reason to believe that soft wood importations will commence to decline within the near future. The Dominion Federated Sawmillers’ Association confirms a statement that freights on timber are approximately as under:—Baltic ports to New Zealand, 5s 3£d per 100 square feet, miles carried 11.538; Pacific ports to New Zealand, 4s to 5s 9d, 5681; Greymouth to Wellington, 4s 9d, 273; Ohakune to Wellington, 5s 9d, 202. The association’s organ contends that among the factors that enable Pacific Slope lumbermen to land timber in New Zealand •’at prices with which it is impossible for the New Zealand sawmiller to compete” is the system of mass production, and this is indicated by the fact that the average number of employees per mill in U.S.A. is 210 as against the average of 21 in New Zealand. Further, owing to the great volume of timber per acre, its even size, length, and texture, and light weight, water carriage, and numberless other natural advantages (the parallels of which are actual physical disadvantages in New Zealand), the timber of the Pacific coast lends itself peculiarly to mechanical processes which are physically impossible in New Zealand to produce. One thousand super feet of timber on the Pacific coast takes but from 20 to 25 man hours, against 35 to 45 man hours for the same operation in New Zealand.