H.—24.

548

[h. valdeb.

A comparison of our local timbers with Oregon will show that the latter is a much more opengrained timber, showing quick growth, also much softer and lighter; no doubt it is easier to work —a factor not to be overlooked fiom a builder's point of view, but it has yet to be proved whether the present class of timber now being imported and sold under the name of Oregon pine will last as long as our own timbers. What guarantee is there that the timber now being imported is not a timber of the same grade as our white-pine, and grown on Jow-lying and swampy lands? Apparently there are several different species of pine, and how is the consumer to tell which is being supplied under the name of " Oregon "1 An inspection of the stocks in Auckland and Wellington would bear out the contention as to the different species. I understand that only the lowest grade of timber (excepting the knotty and shaky grade)— i.e., " merchantable " —is imported into this Dominion, the better classes being kept for home consumption ; and I fail to see why our trade should be temporarily disorganized and men thrown out of employment by allowing this market to be experimented on by importations of this timber during slump periods in America. What proof have we that this timber will be any more lasting than our own white-pine, especially where exposed to the weather or in. damp positions? The experience of the Australian markets should be a guide to us in this respect, and there, after many years' experience of it in a climate much drier than ours, they rate it lower than white-pine. 1 produce the Sydney December, 1908, list, which shows Oregon pine 30 ft. in length up to 12 in. wide at 155., and New Zealand white-pine 10 by 1 and thicker, 17s. 6d. for firsts and 15s. 6d. for seconds; so they rate it there as inferior to our second-class white-pine. I also quote the following extract from the "Immigrant's Guide" for 1906—a Government publication : — ''Chief Forester Mathews says, 'The rafters supporting the roof of First Church, Dunedin, were of Oregon pine. Some fifteen years after the building was erected these rafters exhibited signs of decay. An examination was made, and (lie result showed that the timber had completely perished. The architect, who supervised the work was at a loss to understand why such reputed valuable timber had become worthless in such a short time. He therefore instituted inquiries, and traced the timber to the port of shipment in America, from whence he ascertained the fact that the trees from which these rafters (as well as the whole cargo) were cut had been bled for turpentine, as was usually the custom with timber for export.' " —Extract from report, 1904-5. I consider that a duty on a sliding scale should be imposed, so that when slump conditions prevail, as during the past period, New Zealand could be made use of as a dumping-ground by the sawmillers of other countries for an inferior timber. In this connection I would point out that a duty should be imposed not only on sawn timber, but also on logs, which are at present on the free list, and that any duty should not only apply to Oregon pine, but to all foreign timbers, other than Australian hardwoods, as we never know what development may take place in other countries that may affect our local markets in these days of cheap sea-freights. At the present time the Australian markets are being exploited by syndicates holding large concessions of Chinese forests, and logs are now being imported into Australian markets, and there is a danger that these syndicates ma} 7 at any time turn their attention to this market, and thus force us into competition with the product of Asiatic labour by sending shipments of logs direct to New Zealand. Generally any Matters that injuriously affect the Timber and Building Industries, or would tend to promote their Development. —ln this connection I think a great deal might be done to assist the industry by a readjustment of railway freights, particularly- in regard to encouraging the inland mills to make some use of an enormous quantity of timber now being destroyed both in the bush and at the mills. Practically all the inland mills are at such a distance from the main centre that the railway freights are a large percentage of the gross selling-price of the inferior classes of timber, and it costs just as much to produce and market the inferior classes as it does the better classes. The great difficulty the inland sawmiller has to contend with is the disposal of the inferior classes of timber, and the tendency 7 is to produce as little as possible of these classes; consequently millions of feet of timber are burned annually, which, if it could be got to the manufacturing centres at a freight proportionate to the selling-price, would pay the sawmiller to turn into a marketable commodity- which could be used for making cases, crates. &c. The freight from our Mananui mill to Auckland, 3s. 6d. per hundred feet, represents over 40 per cent, of the gross selling-price at the manufacturing centres, the only places where there is any demand for this class of timber; consequently the inland mills are practically debarred from this trade, and, this being the only outlet for this class of timber, other than fencing-materials, for which the demand is very limited, the timber that could be used for this purpose is either left, in the bush or destroyed at the mills, it being less loss to the sawmiller to pay for burning it than to convert it and ship to the cities at the prices prevailing. If railway freights yvere adjusted to encourage this trade it would create new business for the railways, as the timber now used for cases, &c, is practically all seaborne. I consider that this class of timber termed " shorts " should be carried at the same rate as posts and rails and fencing-stakes—viz., Class F, the rate for which from our Mananui mill to Auckland is £2 16s. per truckload. This at building-timber rates would cost £4 lis., but this is not really so large a reduction as it appears to be, for this reason : all timber for cases lias to be crosscut and bundled in shooks ready to put together, and before doing this it is necessary- to season it, and a ton weight of this timber would contain, actual measurement, between 900 ft. and 1,000 ft., whereas a ton weight of average building-timber would only contain 380 ft. (61b. to the superficial foot). So, looking at this from a tonnage point of view, there would be no loss to the railway Further, timber in shooks is more compact and is better freight, there being nothing like the wear-and-tear on rolling-stock that there is with building-timber in long lengths. This new business also means more employment of labour at the country mills, and every extra man in the country means more revenue to the Railway Department in the shape of freight on