NEW ZEALAND TIMBER FOE SHIPBUILDING PURPOSES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 2818, 4 October 1883, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND TIMBER FOE SHIPBUILDING PURPOSES.

CAPTAIN RUSSELL'S STATEMENTS DENIED. [By Telegraph.] AtTOKLAKD, Oct. 3. An important meeting of ship-builders and ship-owners waa held to-day, Mr J. Waymouth presiding, m relation to an unfavorable report concerning the timber of the North Inland of New Zealand, which appears m the annual report of tho Otago Marine Underwriters' Association for 1882-3. There wero present — Messrs C. Bailey, A. Henderson, R. McKay, Sims (of Sims and Brown), Biglovr, and Nicholas. Mr Henderson submitted tho following resolution : — " We have read with regret the copy of Captain Russell's report on the timber of the North Island of New Zealand, as applied to shipbuilding parposes. Captain Russell thinks that the qualities of pohuUkawa and kauri have been overestimated by Lloyd's, and his report citeß two instances to Bhow the unsuitability of our timber, viz., those of the eobooners Jessie Nicol and Tauranga. In reference to the last-named vessel, the report is at fault, inasmuch as the Tauranga is 20 years old, not 10 as stated. With the first case we are not sufficiently acquainted to speak, but we are prepared to prove that the general conditions of vessels built m the North Island affords abundant proof of the suitability for shipbuilding purposes of the timber m question. We append a Hit of vessels built of pohntakawa frame and kauri planking. They are m a good etato of preservation at the present time, the Moa brig being 35 years of age; the Columbia, schooner, 11 years of age ; the Cora, schooner, 18 years ; the Quean, schooner, 18 years ; the Water Lily, cutter, 18 years ; the Gazelle, cutter, 18 years ; the Saucy Lass, schooner, 20 years ; the Swallow, schooner, 26 years ; the Mary, schsoner, 30 years ; and tha Triad, cutter, 30 years. The frame of tbe ketch Tiratira, 30 years of agp, is yet perfectly sound." Mr McKay said be saw the brig Moa stripped io the dock about eighteen months ago, when she was as sound as a bell. Mr Sims said some blurgum built m tho brig Moa was found to have decayed while pohutakawa was quite sound. Mr Nicol said the cutter Pakeha, built by himself m 18-15, was at present trading m Onehunga. He also furnished a list of old Auckland-built vessels still m existence as follows :— Triad, cutter, launched 1858 j Pilot, outter, 1856 ; Mary, outter, 1851 ; Henry, cutter, 1861 ; Atlantic, schooner, 1860 ; Rute, cutter, 1860; Jolly Miller, cutter, 1858; Mary Ann, cutter, 1858; Jessie Kelly, sohooner, 1865. It wos also pointed out by Mr 0. Bailey tnd others that the schooner Colonist, 18 years of age, is now perfectly sound, and that the cutter Morning Light, 20 years old, was opened out by Sims and Brown two years ago and proved quite sound, while the cutter Rose was also opened out two years ago and found to be sound. With reference to the Jessie Nicol (referred to by Captain Russell), Nicol, who built that vessel, said the only reason he could giro fcr her timber being decayed (if such was really the case) was that the vessel had sustained unusual knocking about, causing leakage, which had not beeu attended to m time. Mrßiglow reported that about ten years ago he had bored the brig Moa according to directions from Owen and Graham. He put an augur into every place whioh was likely to be faulty, and with the exception of one timber, all were found to be perfectly sound, Mr Waymouth suggested an effort should be made to get un authentic statement with reference to the opening out of the Moa at OnehuDga, when the bluegum m her was found to be decayed, while Aukelnad timber was ie a good etato of preservation. The examples already given were sufficient and only required to be verified. It was agreed Mr Waymouth should draw up a report including tha facts stated above with other authoritative facts to be submitted to another meeting to be held on Friday, the report to be signed by the ship builders and sent to Lloyd's Register of Shipping.