EXPORT TIMBER

Southland Times, Issue 25417, 19 October 1935, Page 8

EXPORT TIMBER

GRADING CONTROL. PROVISIONS IN BILL. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, October 18. With the object of preventing the export of undergrade timber, authority is given in the Products Export Amendment Bill, which passed all stages in the House of Representatives this afternoon, for the control of the export of this product. The nature of the measure was explained by Sir Alfred Ransom, Minister in Charge of State Forests, who said that the sawmillers of Southland had worked up an export business in beech which was being handicapped by the export of inferior timber. As everyone knew, the success of the Dominion’s export trade depended on the maintenance of high quality and the provisions of the Bill would give that measure of protection so that exported timber would be classified and graded, thereby giving purchasers the assurance that timber would be of good quality and properly seasoned. So far as Southland was concerned, there had been a considerable increase in its export to Great Britain where it was used for motor body building. There had also been increases in the export of other kinds of native timber. The Minister quoted figures to show that the export of beech had increased from 1,475,000 ft in 1932 to 2,410,000 ft in 1934 and for the eight months of the present year the export was 1,783,000 ft. Since 1932 the export of rimu had increased from 6,060,000 ft to 7.151,000 ft in 1934 and the total exports for the eight months of the current year had been 5,710,000 ft. The Minister indicated that it was not proposed to interfere unduly with the sawmillers’ business and that they would be consulted before any action was taken.