ROUND THE SAWMILLS

Southland Times, Issue 20013, 29 October 1926, Page 6

ROUND THE SAWMILLS

. NEWS (»' THE DISTRICTS. Mr. T. O’Byrne, secretary of the Sawmill Workers’ Union, who returned yesterday evening from a tour of the sawmills in the Western District, supplied a reporter with some interesting news in regard to the sawmills in that and other parts of the province. Mr. O’Byrne stated that there were eight mills now operating in the vicinity of Tuatapeie. Mr. Neil Cook until recently operating in the Te Tua district had purchased Mr. Reid’s mill at Paradise and was reerecting the plant and buildings on the west tide of the Dart Valley. Iliis would necessitate a considerable amount of pioneer work as the timber had to be waggoned to Glenorchy, a distance of approximately twelve miles and as yet no roadway had been formed. Williams, Guthrie and Co. bad cut out the bush in the Papatotera district and ware removing the plant some distance farther on about two miles off the Clifdem road where there was a considerable area of bush as yet untouched by millowners. They would be commencing operations in a short time. Messrs Hamilton and Co. were making preparations to re-commence operations at the Tuatapere mill, which bad been closed down since the time of the war. Previously the same firm had approximately 1.000.000 feet of timber stored in their yards at Tuatapere but that stock had been lightened considerably. Continuing, Mr. O’Byrne said that the Kaipipi mill at Stewart Island, which had been working there for close on forty years, had cut out all the available timber lands. Mr. J. Farley was entering into partnership with Trail Bros, at Fortification. The hauling plant which had been in use there was being shipped to Port Craig. Messrs Bird Bros., of Haldane, had recommenced operations in their area. That mill had been closed down over the winter months on account of the fact that the roads leading to the mill had rendered cartace impossible. Messrs Pope and Co., of Niagara, had also followed that course, being affected by the same conditions. Messrs Duncan and Son, Waikawa, had also resumed operations on a larger scale only the cutting and stacking of timber being carried out during the winter.