SAWMILLING INDUSTRY

Southland Times, Issue 19458, 24 January 1925, Page 6

SAWMILLING INDUSTRY

REVIEW OF THE YEAR. CONDITIONS IN THE SQJJTH. “During the past year, the sawmillers of Otago and Southland have found trade conditions fairly good,” said a gentleman who is in close touch with the sawmilling industry in the two provinces, to a Southland Times reporter, “although it is generally admitted that over-production has been in evidence. There appears to be an idea abroad that sawmilling is a lucrative occupation at present, and this had the effect of causing a lot of small mills to be put into commission. The outlook for the future seems to be fairly good, although there is nothing of a pronounced nature to cause sawmillers to be unduly optimistic. The mills on the West Coast have had a very satisfactory year for white pine, but the demand for red pine eased off during the year, and fairly large stocks are at present being held by West Coast millers. Conditions in the North Island seem to be somewhat similar to those ip the south, and it would appear that the West Coast is sending a good deal of red pine into the North Island to the disadvantage of the northern miller. We feel that they require all the business that is offering in their own island for their own timber. On the whole, the sawmilling industry of New Zealand has had a fair year, although it is generally conceded that it has not been equal to some of its predecessors. A considerable quantity of foreign timber, particularly American and Baltic timbers, have been imported during the year, and have adversely affected the New Zealand industry. It seems unfair that the largest wagepaying industry in New Zealand should suffer from the importation of foreign timbers, particularly in a country which possesses some of the finest building and manufacturing timber in the world.” INDUSTRY IN AUSTRALIA. The miller handed the reporter an extract from a Melbourne paper dealing with the importation of foreign timber into Australia, which stated inter alia: “Unfortunately, owing to many adverse circumstances, Victoria cannot produce timber at a figure anywhere near the low costs of foreign timbers. Conditions are vastly different. Labour elsewhere is cheaper. Australia's policy is white, and the law demands payment of a fair living wage. In competing countries there is a good percentage of coloured labour. Where Australian millers pay a minimum wage of over £4 per week, the lowest rates in other countries range from £1 5/- to £2. Therefore, Victorian hardwood, which is considered to be amongst the finest in the world, unequalled for many uses, and which is produced by white labour at a fair living wage, is gradually being ousted from its own state by timber produced by cheap foreign labour This state of affairs is regrettable. It is also preventable. A fair measure of protection would enable the industry to hold its own against overseas competition. Is it not possible for the various State departments and public bodies to insist that a greater proportion of Victorian timbers be used? If nothing is done it appears that the industry must drift into insignificance, involving heavy industrial loss and causing considerable unemployment.” “Contrast the attitude of the powers that be in Victoria and New Zealand,” said the Southland sawmiller. “When the Victorian millers approached the Minister, and laid their case before him, he said that he quite realised the difficulties of the millers. As far as the request of the deputation that Australian hardwood be used in all Government buildings was concerned, he thought the industry was one that should be conserved and encouraged. The policy which they had asked him to enforce was, he thought, a good one, and wherever possible Australian hardwood should be used. He was with them personally and he would take the matter to Cabinet.” “In New Zealand, however, we have had less sympathy from the ministers and the public,” he remarked. “New Zealand should protect its own industry because the Board of Trade is there to prevent exploitation. It is absurd that building or manufacturing timbers should be imported into New Zealand. The only timber for which there is any excuse is Australian hardwood, which the New Zealand forests do not yield. Apart from that, it would be in the interests of the Dominion if a protective duty were put on, thus making importation impossible. Goodness knows, we’ve enough money going out for motor cars without importing timber, in many instances produced by Japanese labour at American mills, while the exchange rate also assists them. The American millers also get cheaper freights from America to New Zealand than we can get from Invercargill to Dunedin; and the same with Baltic timber. If we are going to protect our butter, and cheese and so on, why not our timber ?” QUALITY OF SOUTHLAND BEECH. The miller went on to say that the only timber exported from Southland in any quantity was beech, considerable quantities of which went to Australia. The Southland beech was looked on as one of the best manufacturing timbers in New Zealand and was likely to grow in favour as the years went by. White pine was also exported, but in insignificant quantities. All the rimu in Southland and Otago was absorbed by the local market. Over-pro-duction was more pronounced in regard to white pine in the past year than has been the case with any other local timbers, with the result that considerable cutting of prices went on to the detriment of the local industry. STATE FORESTRY. Interviewed by a reporter, Mr D. Macpherson, head of the State Forest Service at Invercargill, stated that a large proportion of the industry was in private lands. In most instances private owners did not get value for their bush, because in most cases they were only too glad to get what the miller could offer them. There was quite a lot of bush on native lands being milled. These lands were under the jurisdiction of the Native Land Court. At present there was not a great deal of milling on educational endowments, but there might be in years to come, as some of them had quite good milling bush. Last year the Forestry Department were controlling the products of 18 mills in Southland, their output being 18,000,000 feet. The Department would sell to any bona fide miller sufficient timber for not more than five years. As a rule millers did not take advantage of the full period, but preferred more of a hand-to-mouth existence. There was a provision in the Act whereby owners of Native bush lands could get the Forestry Department to manage their lands for them, and he thought the Natives would be wise to take advantage of this provision on their behalf, as their lands would be managed on the same lines as those under the control of the Department. There were difficulties in the way of the project of natives milling their own lands, and by putting it in the hands of ’the Forestry Department, they would get current value for their timber less a very small proportion for administration. DANGER OF BUSH FIRES. Mr Macpherson also said he would like to give a general warning against fires being left alight in the bush. He had seen instances of this within the past week or so in the Mokoreta district particularly, and one had destroyed five and twenty trees over an area of a third of an acre. The loss in royalty was 10/- per tree, but to the community the loss of a tree had been estimated at £6 per tree, and this, therefore, meant a public loss of £l5O. These fires had probably been lighted by pig hunters, as they were on a pig track. An experienced bushman would usually light a fire on a shoe track where it would not spread or smoulder. The fire in question might just as easily have burnt a hundred acres, and the bush was as dry as it could be just now. If people would realise that every acre of bushlands destroyed by fire meant a direct loss of £l2O to the country, they might be constrained to exercise greater care with, fires in the bush.