IN THE WAIMARINO.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12882, 6 June 1913, Page 6

IN THE WAIMARINO.

The timber industry has boen revived somewhat in the Mataroa- district, n-nd there are now five mills at Mataroa township. Two of these are new mills, which .are working bush that Avas hitherto difficult to reach. The mills -are not all working at prer?ti' -%&i feaW elosed.,down owing to the of carting timber over the bnd roads.

Messrs Smith and Donald's mill is only .working Ijalftirne. the hands putting m^one day in the bush alternately. Mr R. W. Smith's miH is busily engaged, and is cutting timber of good quality. This is a very compact mill and is averaging about asven thousand feet of timber per ■ day. The mill is n.ttcd with a planing m/achine, and the mic °? I ,t^ ie timber is being dressed. Jne mill is situated about two miles from Mataroa, with which it is conii t .jted by a tramline. The J me con verses with that of Messrs Smith and Donaid, and the timber from both mills /is- -brought into Mataroa and railed away from there. Smith and Donald's nun is about a mile and a half away ironi MatarcQ, and is connected therewith by both road and tramline, but tiie road is in a very ,bad state, nnd timber cannot be eafteel over it. Messrs Bennett and Dillon and Dixon and Jack have both commenced operations on the Jioeko road, butas the road is not in a. fit state to stand heavy timber trafnc, both mills have- been closed for the winter.

Mr Dunne has erected a mill and comc-nced cutting on the Motukawa. ■road, but no timber has yet been sent out. lhis firm intends laying a tramline to Bennett's siding and sendingtno timber ottt that way. Ihero are quite a number cf mills Hearing the' end of their supply of bush Messrs Smith and Dmald and the Manav;;at" J'mber Coj have tho depletion of .their bush «reas insight, and it is estimated that the bush f mm which supplies are drawn for. Mr R. W. Smith's Mataroa mill will last for only another tour or five yea re. In other parts of the district, and CT(''ii. m t!-° neart of what «as once called the \Vaimarino forest, tho sources rrom winch supplies of timber were drawn are being rapidly depleted. There are not a great many good milling areas now available in acceasible parts and operations we being extended to'parts ot the dstnt-t in which the bush was hitherto considered too difficult of access to work profitably.