German Timber used as Firewood Instead of as Houses in Britain

Wanganui Chronicle, 24 July 1947, Page 5

German Timber used as Firewood Instead of as Houses in Britain

(Special N.Z.P.A. Correspondent) Heed. 4.50 p.m. London. July 23 Reviewing the operations of British north German timber eonrol in its efforts to .secure a regular supply of cut timber for British house-building from German forests. Mr. Wm. Vane, M.P., in a statement in the “Daily Telegraph,” says: “Through a combination of factors, the amount of limber so far obtained lias been disappointing. To date, the total piautity shipped Io Britain through Hamburg is in the vicinity of 1.000.000 tons, but this is substantially less than had been I hoped, and only a fraction of the I

timber at present being cut in all < four zones of Germany. i “Unfortunately, the Brilish i authorities have been shortsighted enough to let the story I spread that the British are denud- < ing German forests for repara- r lions, and this has further dimin- : ished Britain's reputation with I the German public. Actually, the < 'timber exported to Britain under c I this arrangement is set against i II he cost of food sent to Germany s i from Britain, and is not treated ' i las reparations. !y I “Moreover, by far the greatest;] i proportion of timber ent fromis I '. rman woodlands is being used I n I in Germany itself. One of Hie jy

eliicf rettsons the British authorities have not been able to obtain more ent timber is the tremendous .y the Germans are making' on forests for firewood. The pre-war consumption of firewood in Germany was 1,000,000 lons a year, and now Ihe official figure is 7.000.000 tons, but there is no doubt that this is greatly increased by ‘unofficial scrounging'.’ Much of this timber is quite suitable for industrial and building' use. Four to five days' output from the Ruhr pits would prevent this waste, and provide sufficient timber to build half a million more Imuses in Britain yearly.