FROM THE TOWER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 71, Issue 237, 6 October 1928, Page 8

FROM THE TOWER

(By

“SENTDraX-”)

Since every little helps, the £2OOO a year left by the late W. H. Travis to aid in cancer ami tuberculosis research in New Zealand will prove useful. All nations are seeking a cure for cancer, which has become the chief menace to the human race. A glance at New Zealand statistics gives sufficient cause for very serious thought, and the position of New Zealand gives an index to the world position. In 1928, the number of persons ’lying from cancer in this Dominion was 936; last year it was 1324. Fifty years ago the death-rate from cancer per 1,000,000 of population w r as 221; in the next twenty years it almost doubled, advancing to 434 per 1,000,000. Decade by decade, the percentage haa increased, until last year it was 963 per 1,000,000 of population. Cancer, has only to continue increasing at this rate to wipe mankind entirely out of existence within reasonable time unless a cure be discovered. It is possible, however, that cancer may some day be as common a; colds, and no more deadly. Apropos of Empire Trade Week, what of British timbers England uses eng, gurjum, Ihitka, padauk and pyankadu from India, western hemlock and x maple from Canada, Tasmanian oak, - silky oak and jarrah from Australia, Iroko and African walnut from British West Africa, greenheart from British Guiana and satinwood from Ceyloix These arc some of the less familiar woods of the Empire whose praises are sounded by the report by the Imperial Economic Committee. The report indicates in impressive fashion the great and largely undeveloped range of the Empire’s timber resources and nn appendix gives interesting examples of the purposes of utility and of decoration to which Empire timbers, whose names are still unfamiliar to the public, have already been put. A bridge across the Thames at Henley is shown to be built of pyankadu, and the panelling, pews and doors of a church in Paddington to be made of padauk. Greenheart, prized for the qualities which make it a valuable component of fishing rods, has also been used for dock gates at Southampton, while Kenya codarwood is now competing with American cedar in the provision of material for the manufacture of pencils. The voting lobby of the London County Hall has bean panelled with Indian laurelwood. First class railway carriages have been panelled by one railway company with Australian walnut, by another with silver grey wood from India, while the tables of a popular restaurant are mad# of Australian silky oak.

In 1927 imports into the United Kingdom of timber, manufactured wood and wood pulp amounted to £67,000,000, a higher figure than that of any other raw material brought into the country with the exception of wool and cotton. M Of this £67,000,000, the value of timber alone amounted to £50,000,000, some nine-tenths of which were derived from foreign sources. The proportion of home-grown timber to imported supplies is small. It has been computed by the Forestry Commission that the total consumption in-the United Kingdom in 1924 amounted to nearly 1,100,000,000 cubic feet of standing timber (excluding imports of manufactures of wood) and that of this amount only 56,000,000 cubic feet, or 5.4 per cent, were supplied from 4 ‘ home-grown” sources. The severe cutting, which took place during the war, is noted as a cause of a certain recent decline of home supplies. There ought to be a good market in England for some of the New Zealand timber planted under afforestation schemes. But that, of course, is in the dim and distant future. From S.S.:— “It is only a matter of time —nn<? It is not far distant —when the railways will be a profitable undertaking.” So said S’r John Luke when discussing the Government;’s construction proposals in the House of Representatives this week. “Exception has been taken to the deviation works,” this cheery optimist continued, after an appropriate pause; “but for an answer one has only to refer to the Palmerston and Tawa Flat deviations. Not only will these works meet all the charges of interest but . they also will be a big factor in increasing the whole of the railway revenue.” Everyone would be glad to see Sir John’s confident prophecies fulfilled; but at the moment they appear to bsj too good to be true. The railway statement for the year, indeed, tells but a sorry story. The nominal loss on the railways for the twelve months amounted to £291,452, and to this substantial amount has to be added the loss of £489,567 on unpayable branch lines—euphemistically styled 4 'developmental lines”—bringing the total deficiency up to £781,019, a sum more than sufficient to pay annual interest at the rate of 5 per cent on fifteen millions sterling!

For the time being it may be more interesting to look into the position of these “developmental lines” than it would be to speculate concerning the future of the Palmerston and the Tawa Flat deviations. There are twenty-nine of them mentioned in the Railway Statement and no doubt all of them at the time jf their construction were lauded as sure to “meiet all charges of construction” and “be big factors in increasing the whole of the railway revenue.” Needless to say, the present Government is in no way responsible for thjeir existence. Thousands of pounds a year are wasted, however, upon scraps of line that cannot fairly be described as 44 developmental” or even 44 essential.” The, Greytown, the Foulwind, the Glenhar.i, the Orawia and the Waiuku lines arc instances in point. The Greytown line is three miles ii length. Last year its revenue wat £lB9 per mile; its working expenses and interest, £1295 per mile, and its total loss £llOB per mile. The Foulwind Eno was run at a loss of £709 per mile foi the year; the Glenham line at a loss of 1£728 per mile; the Orawia line at a loss of £783 per mile and the Waiuku line at a loss of £937 per mile. The aggregate loss on these five lines amounted to £36,504 during the year.