KILN-DRYING PLANTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 841, 9 December 1929, Page 10

KILN-DRYING PLANTS

TIMBER FOR THE RAILWAYS USE OF NEW ZEALAND WOODS . From Our Resident Reporter WELLINGTON, Saturday. By the installation of kilii-drym? plants at Otahuhu and AddingtOD, the Railway Department expects to be able to use a greater proportion of indigenous timber in the construction of roil ing stock. The plants are estimated to cost £IO,OOO, said the Minister of Railway;, the Hon. W. B. Taverner, today. H<« said that the department was con vinced that it will benefit by securing better conditioned and more lasting timber for its constructional work and by a cheaper, as well as mor* effective conditioning. Kiln-dryhsp will allow indigenous timber to replace a great deal of imported timber, and will render useful for construe tional purposes a considerable amoun; of sap wood and non-heart grades tbai would emerge as an inferior produc from the old seasoning process of air drying. Kiln-drying will enable direct linan cial economy to be effected. SubstaD tial though this saving is, the bette. service, longer life and low'er main tenance. cost that may be expected from vehicles constructed with kilo dried timber is far more important Economy will be effected in the millinjprocess in the workshops, because, with a kiln-dried article, there will bt less warping and shrinkage. more regular product will be treated in the workshops, and loss due to handling and milling timber that after ward proves unserviceable will be cut out.