TIMBER STOCKS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18922, 25 January 1936, Page 2

TIMBER STOCKS

SHORTAGE IN AUCKLAND HOUSE -BUILDING BRISK As a result of the increased activity in the house-building trade and the prevalence of wet weather during the past few months, which has prevented the mills from expanding then output, the majority of Auckland timber merchants report a shortage in tlieir stocks of seasoned heart til rimu and mutai and joinery totara. The shortage, however, is not expected to become serious as new areas ot hush are being opened up and the existing mills are now succeeding in increasing their production consider„,l,lv In only a comparatively lew cases has building work been delayed. '•'While we are still able to supply our customers, we have little in the dry, heart timbers to spare," said the manager of one timber company. His company, he added, normally kept heavy stocks of all timbers, but these had 'been reduced by the increase in the amount of house-building that had occurred during the past 18 months. Stocks, however, were gradually being built up again. 'The shortage of totara for joinery purposes was probably due to the fact thai some (inns were endeavouring to build up stocks, fearing delay in being to execute orders. It was stated in another quarter that some joinery firms were finding difficulty in obtaining sufficient totara to meet their present requirements and were using imported redwood. Another large timber company reported that its stocks for housebuilding were plentiful, with the exception of heart of totara. .and wideboards generally. Large stocks of dry, heart of rimu. malai and kauri were held. • . kauri: for england "During the past 12 months we have exported far more kauri to England than we have for years," said one of the principals. For a time, lie continued, a new method of storing beer and whisky was tried in which kauri was not used. It hail apparently not been successful, as comparatively large orders for kauri were once again being received. In Auckland, it was stated, the timber most in demand for housebuilding was heart matai and rimu. Large quantities of matai and rimu were being shipped to Sydney and Melbourne at present, but this did not affect building in Auckland, as ir was sap timber that was finding a market in Australia, This sap timber was being exported mainly from Greyniouth, Wanganui, New Plymouth and Auckland. Matai was taken principally from the King Country, and rimu from the West Coast of the South Island.

Normally a shortage of timber in Xew Zealand would be met by shipments of Oregon and redwood from ports on the Pacific coast of America, it was explained. As a result of the unemployment, building subsidy, however, very little of these timbers was being imported to-day.