AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 143671, 15 December 1911, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS.

NEW ZEALAND TIMBER. AN AUSTRALIAN DOTE. By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. MELBOURNE, Dec. 14. The House sat all night discussing the proposal to admit New Zealand white pine undressed for butter-boxes, sizes not less than five inches by threequarters of an inch, not exceeding fourteen inches by one and five-eighths inches, but not cut to shax>e, free, and timber undressed to size for boxmaking at four shillings per hundred super feet. It met with strong opposition. It was contended that it would seriously injure me boxm'akiug trade and give the industry an advantage over fruit. Mr. Groom claimed that Queensland could supply all the butter-box timber required. Mr. Denton thought a friendly spirit might be shown to New Zealand. This matter, apart from considerations, favoured tho imposition ol four shillings on partly dressed limber, but. Now Zealand while pine was used as' raw material in other industries which produced household necessities. In the course of the uis cussion Mr. Tudor suggested that white pine, any size, should come in at sixpence per hundred super feet, and all other New Zealand pine should fall at the same rate as oilier timber. The Ministry considered that New Zealand white p*ne should not be treated differently to other timber. Apparently, however, tho Government had knocked against one or two vested interests. v; Mr. Tudor compromised, making New Zealand white piyic, undressed, dutiable at sixpence per hundred super feet, and this was adopted. This allows white pine to come in for fruit-cases as well as butter-boxes.