TIMBER MILLS IDLE

Taranaki Daily News, 26 April 1930, Page 32 (Supplement)

TIMBER MILLS IDLE

DIFFICULTIES OF -INDUSTPIY.

PROBLEM -OF IMPORTATIONS.

Timber mills throughout the Auckland province are at present idle, and when they resume operations on Monday next, after a prolonged Easter holiday, they will be compelled, says the Star, to work reduced hours owing to heavy importations of foreign timbers. The industry has been labouring under difficulties for several years now, but it is stated by those competent to judge the situation, that conditions to-day are worse than they have ever been. The position of stagnation can be promptly remedied, however, by the placing of restrictions on the importation of foreign woods, such as sashes and doors and sawm timbers. “Aly ’ personal feeling is that the trouble in • the industry can be surmounted without injury to anyone. We have the timber and can supply the goods in this country in the majority of cases. Where we cannot do that, we can import the required timber in bulk. If the Government would only, close down on importations of timber for 12 months, it would place 4000 men in work' in New - Zealand within six months.”

This outspoken statement was made recently by Mr, E. J. Phelan, secretary of the Timber Workers’ Union,when discussing factors that contributeto the slackness of the timber industry and that are engaging the attention of both employer and employee. “We, as a union, appreciate more than anybody else the difficulties under which the mill owners . are

labouring," Air. Phelan added, in directing attention to the fact that the union and the employers were cooperating with one another in efforts to solve their common difficulties. Early last week', he pointed.out> he had received the following letter from the manager of the Taupo Totara Timber Company (Mr. H. G. Coupe), candidly, setting out' the position of the company and flic harmony that, existed between employer and employee: —“As you are aware, the timber industry is having a .very lean time. The Taupo Totara Timber Company is only working one of its two Mokai mills. In spite of this curtailment of output, we added 499,010 feet (actual supermeasurement) to our stocks over the three months ended March 31 last. We now find it necessary to further reduce cutting, and we propose, subject to your approval, to work five days .of eight hours per week, the working time to be between 7.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. from Monday to Friday inclusive. The alternative would be a four-day week of the ordinary eight and a half-hour days.’’

In reply, Mr. Phelan wrote : '“I am in receipt of your favour notifying that, owing to the state of the industry, it will be necessary to curtail working hours. We quite appreciate the grave difficulties you are labouring under owing to the continued depression. Wo realise that something must be done and believe that the working hours submitted by you will render less hardship to all concerned. On behalf of the union I tender your firm our sincere thanks for the consideration you have at all times given to those you employ. We hope that things will soon take a turn for the better."

Mr. Phelan said the position as stated by Mr. Coupe was common throughout the district, and advice had been received early in the month that a Mamaku mill had been forced fro dis-

charge -13 men, and .work a week. His union had urged, the--Gov-ernment to prohibit importations of foreigm 'timber; which was the bugbear to- the industry torday. y . “Every mill in the district is either: closed or working short-time,” he further explained; “Unemployment among mill workers has been more acute during the past 12 months than it has been for two or three years. Not only are we concerned with the unemployment problem, but another factor to, be considered is the loss entailed through mill machinery lying idle.” Mr. Phelan said he was aware that large stocks rof foreign timbers had recently arrived -in Auckland and were now stored on the Auckland wharves. That, however, was going on continually. Just what the importations meant to New Zealand could be gauged from the fact that every 100 ft of timber imported meant the loss of ~a day’s-work to a timber worker in New Zealand.