THE TIMBER INDUSTRY.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12411, 28 November 1908, Page 2

THE TIMBER INDUSTRY.

A DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER, (.United Pbebs Association.! Wellington, Nov.' 27. A large deputation of sawmillers, timber merchants, and labour representatives waited on the Prime Minister to-day, in regard to the serious condition of he timber industry. Mr D. McLaren, M.P., said many workers from Taihape were present. Between 400 and 500 men in that district were out of work through the closing of the mills. An attempt had been made to combat the importation of Oregon pine by the imposition of. a duty, but care should be taken in this matter, as the high price of timber in the cities was a serious thing for the working classes. Mr J. Reardon said the position was a serious one. Mr Gardner, a Taihape sawmiller, ■ said the importation of Oregon timber was taking the bread and butter out of the mouths of their wives and -children. Mr W. H. Field, M.P., said if Oregon pine cam to New Zealand as it threatened to the mills must close, and hundreds of men would be thrown out of work, and the country would be at the mercy of a- foreign monopoly.. Mills were now closing down all over the country. - . Mr A. R. Bailey said they wanted the Government to hang up the proposed Royal Commission. He also spoke of the seriousness, of the position. The loss of wages now reached £1500 per month. Mr J. W. Ellis (Waikato) said, the mills in the northern district paid about £40,000 a year in railway freights. : Mr I\ Jensen (Hawke's Bay), said the Oregon pine came to New Zealand for 10s 5d net, and out of that 7s lid went back to America. He asked that the duty on Oregon bo increased_ to 4s per 100 feet, "and the importation of battens, scantling and ordinary boards be prohibited. Mi-.W." Burler (West Const), Mr Hobkirk (timber merchant), and Mr Coradine (WBirarapa) also spoko. •.-..The- .Premier said the Government was not prepared to subs?dise BDy service to carry timber against the interests of people working in this country. (Hear, hear. ) The first thing was to find out what was wrong, and then to s eek a remedy. If the timber merchants bad offered, aa -the xaiHers.bAd, to allow their books to be examined, he was not sure a Royal Commission would have been necessary. If the figures supplied that dsiy were correct, somebody was making a profit of 45 pet cent on tbe prices of timber as landed in Wellington. In the mean time, be would do the. only thfng be could till Parliament met, ; by endeavouring to give red ueed rates 'on the railways, and he would look also into eth c question of long distance rates. He would far sooner help in every possible way the local timber industry, tbaD do anything t o encourage any external trade, but they had to be very careful about altering the duty. Perhaps the .'assertions that had been made about the tight* ness of money had aggravated tne position. He was not in favour of starting State .sawmills, •aa there were now enough mills to supply requirements. He was fully impressed with the necessity pi dealing wifcb this matter as soon as possible, and having an effective remedy devised.