THE SAWMILLING INDUSTRY AND SOUTHLAND RAILWAYS.

Southland Times, Issue 19482, 9 December 1904, Page 2

THE SAWMILLING INDUSTRY AND SOUTHLAND RAILWAYS.

♦ — Within a cdmparatively short period no less than ten sawmills in Southlatid have " cut out " their bush areas and closed down. A number of the mills remaining at work have less than twelve months' work ahead of them, and it seems probable that unless new country is thrown, open to the mills the timber industry,, which has so long been an important factor in Southland will dwindle to much smaller dimensions. However, the decline of the industry itwy be averted, as has been indicated, by the opening up -of new forest areas, and tho sawmill workers, realising their interests as employes are at stake, have become ardent supporters of the movement for the extension of the) Orepuki-Wtiiau ruilwuy from Waihoaka. Several 'attempts have been made to work tho magnificent timber on the Waiau Hinks with road cartage, but %\e tinderstand that none of them have been successful. The extra labour involved has increased the cost of {jutting the sawn product upon the market to such an extent as to rander it unprofitable, and it is quite ck-ar that these great timber supplies will remain unproductive until the railway is pushed through them, affording the sawmiller easy access to his market. While it is a matter for great regret that so great a field of potential riches should) lie undeveloped, that is not the worst of the case, for, in the absence of the sawmills, thousands of feet of valuable timber are given over to the flames annually. This is a wanton waste that ought to be prevented. For two reasons, therefore! — to prevent a monstrous wasto of valuable material, and to prevent, the decline of an Industry that maintains a largo amount of labour— the railways which would tap the bush areas of the Waiau and Seaward Bush districts should be pushed on. A public meeting is being organised which will ha<ve for its object the discussion of this matter. Notice ol it will be widely published in duo time, and we expect from it a movement that will greatly strengthen the agitation of the Railway League, nnd show to tho Government that tho active prosecution of these mil ways is demanded, not by a handful of people who stand to benefit by them, but by the people of Southland generally, through those who represent, their interests. At Omaikau last week, under the system of administering the money available for public works which he laid down, the Right Honourable the Premier declared that his Government would give each district the amount to which it was entitled on the basis of its contribution to the general revenues. We have lopectedly shown that on this very Is sis Southland was entitled to receive £80,000 from the total expenditure! provided for in the Public Works Estimates of last session (£1.403,---100). But the actual amount received was less than £50,000, and that sum did not include a single penny for railway works. Judged by Mr Seddon's own pronouncement, this is a flagrant injustice. It ought to be resented with the whole force of the district ; and that it will tie effectively resented, and the repetition of it prevented, there can be little doubt if those engaged in the sawmilling industry add their weight "to tho agitation which has been carried on by the settlers at the Waiau, at Tokonui, at Waikawa, and at Niagara, and by the Railway League in Invercargill. It is to ha hoped that the meeting will be large, representative and animated, and that whatever action is decided upon will be fruitful in results beneficial to Southland.