17

C.—4

The total export of timber for the year may be put down at 2,500,000 superficial feet, of which 1,500,000 superficial feet would represent white-pine. The number of hands employed in connection with the mills is 721. The following is the amount of timber obtained from the various mills in the district for the construction of bridges and other works carried out by the Roads Department during the past twelve months, amounting to 162,155 superficial feet, divided into the following classes —totara, maire, rimu, matai, and tanekaha ; in addition to which the Department imported about 750 superficial feet of ironbark and 39,574 superficial feet of kauri from Australia and Auckland respectively. Factories. At Dannevirke Messrs. Calder, Drummond, and Co. are running an up-to-date steam factory, obtaining their supplies of timber from neighbouring mills, and using a 35-horse-power suction gasengine, with planing and nailing machinery, and employing twenty hands. Other factories comprise R. Holt, Milburn Bros., Garnet, and Phillipps and Wright at Hastings, employing in all twenty-three hands, and R. Holt and Holder, Napier, and W. Ward, Awatoto, with sixty-five hands. These factories are all fitted up with planing machinery, and turn out for the mJDst part dressed timber, mouldings, and joinery. By comparing the present return with that of two years ago, it will be found that a very considerable falling-off in this industry has occurred during that time, there now being some seventeen mills and factories less than formerly, with a cutting-capacity of, say, 16,250,000 superficial feet, and an annual output of over 8,000,000 superficial feet, while the reduction in the number of employees amounts to over three hundred hands. This is further evidence of the gradual exhaustion of material, as already noted.

a—c. 4.