PRICE OF TIMBER.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 15081, 2 December 1919, Page 8

PRICE OF TIMBER.

• In-'- the- course of the Hon. W. D.' r S. ■ MncDonald's receiit . meeting, at Te Karaka, reieronce was v.made to the" -price of building timber in New Zealand, and the member for the Bay of Plenty was asked whether it was true that ordinary buildiug timber- in New ■'■: Zealand 1 cost 26s : per f 100 feet, and in Sydney, it was *be»ng -soid for" 16s per ■ IGO feet ; heart 'of kauil -80sv'in -New Zealand, and 40s to 50s in Sydney/ A statement to -this- effect -had B6en going the.. rounds' <Si the press." ' ; Discussing the'aubject with ,i Herald representative to-day, Mr T. Quirk, the local sawmiller,;; said :thc figures quoted : ' were quite erroneous, and in support of his assertion he produced a copy of the Gisborne merchants' list, • and price lists from several outside centres, j j In the first place, Mr Quirk explained' that in Sydney. and Australia generally .timber was quoted by the running ; (lineal) foot, whereas in New Zealand it j was sold at per superficial foot, which ; was, an entirely different basis ' altogether. Thus a comparison at pev 100 ( feet between Australian and New: Zealand .prices was -entirely misleading. Further than this, freight, wharfage, duty and , other charges represented . about 10s per 100 feet, and it was there.fore absurd to suggest that New Zealand timber would bo sold cheaper in ' Australia than in the Dominion: Heart of j kauri had been quoted at 80s, per 100 ■t&s™ ow Zealand, and 40s to' 50s per .100 feet in Sydney. Reference to tho Gisborno list-, showed that heart of k^uri was scheduled at (maximum lip to 42 inches wide) 57s per hundred (super). The Auckland prices wero somewhat lower, as. tHe. cost of freight to Gisborne represents.' seven shillings per hundred. Gisborne prices for rimu were the lowest in.- New Zealand, being from 2s i 6d to .53 per hundred lower than the Napier 'list, as a perusal of the schedules! disclosed. Th e Wellington lists were as much as 10s higher On certain important lines. Speaking of totara, Mr Quirk said that the charges for handling railway and steamer freight, wharfage, cartage, ete., on this class of timber from the Main Trunk district were veiV »hia-h Tq bear this out he produced the charges, on one consignment of 8162 feet*- from Taumarunui to Gisborne, the transportation cost being £48 6 3 3d. representing fully 12 S per hundred. Of tnis.extra cost no one received an.y benefit. ■ . . -'■....-