PINUS INSIGNUS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 72, Issue 6239, 7 June 1946, Page 8

PINUS INSIGNUS

MANY USES IN BUILDING EXPERIENCES OF DISTRICT FARMERS Many of the farmers from, all parts of the district who attended the annual meeting of the Waikato Province, Federated Farmers, at the recreation hall, Peachgrove Road, were interested in the building itself, particularly the use made of pinus insignus for the interior walls and some of the crossbeams. “Not enough use is made of pinus insignus for building purposes,” said one farmer, who claimed experience of the timber fol’ more than 25 years. He said that cn his property pinus insignus had been used very successfully. The principal requirement was to keep the boards or scantlings from contact with the ground. For building interiors it was admirable and it compared very favourably with such timber as rimu and matai. Another farmer said pinus insignus could be used for fencing, if the limbs of the trees were used without splitting, for the bark kept the ground moisture from reaching the timber. This brought the retort jfrom another that by painting pinus with a thick oil, such as sump oil, there was sufficient protection for sawn or isplit timber in the ground, but he conceded that it was not likely to be effective in damp ground such as drained swamp areas. Better than sump oil was a creosote preparation if obtainable. In the general discussion which followed, it was pointed out that the interior walls, as used in the recreation hall, were treated with oil, thus preserving the timber. The grain in some of the boards was very pretty, and even the knots, if not too pronounced, were an attractive feature. By selection an almost uniform appearance could be obtained, and the pinus would then greatly resemble the kauri timber that was so universally used in dwellings half-a-century ago, but which was now exceedingly scarce and costly. One requirement for success that often was overlooked was that only timber from mature trees should bs used. Maturity was not reached in most pinus trees until the trees were at least 20 years old, and one farmer, in stressing that fact, said he had used split timber from trees that were 50 years old, and this timber was as good today as when it was first used for building purposes. Another farmer told of using pinus for erecting pig-sties with complete success, for he had used sump oil for coating both sides of the boards. .Reference was made to the request from the State Housing Department that local bodies should give ap-

proval to the use of pinus insignus for building in specified conditions. The timber would be used for framing above ground level, and its grading would be in accordance with draft rules of the Standards Institute. The timber would have to be dried before use to a moisture content of not more than 40 per cent. This prompted the remark by one experienced farmer that when he intended using pinus he invariably stacked it for at least six months before using it in building operations. That was also wise, he said, for timber other than pinus. Some local bodies have expressed opposition to the proposal, and if that attitude is maintained it is understood the Housing Department

will not persist in its representations, as affecting that particular district. “Watch what happens in those State houses in- which pinus is being used, and be guided by that,” counselled one farmer, who would not concede that pinus was as good as rimu or matai. However, increased and more varied use of timber in the future was thought to be certain.