Decrease in Lumber Consumption in Australia.

Progress, Volume XV, Issue 8, 1 April 1920, Page 769

Decrease in Lumber Consumption in Australia.

From a total of one billion feet in 1913, the annual lumber consumption of. the Commonwealth of Australia has. declined steadily, until t the, consumption for 1918 amounted to slightly more than onehalf the pre-war figure. ;■ The decrease has been chiefly in imported woods, Oregon pine; redwood and Baltic lumber. The native lumber industry of Australia since 1913 has been fairly steady. While the production dropped from 684,890,000 feet in 1913 to 444,955,000 feet in 1917, there was a corresponding decrease in Australian ex-

ports, from 121,252, fleet in 1913 to 35,829,000 feet in 1917. ' The export figures-When deducted from the total native production figures, shows the home consumption to be on a comparatively stationary basis; dining the trying days of the war. * AO'erehr.er idea of the relation of the consumption'of native woods to imported is to-be' had from an inspection of the . table below. It demonstrates that Australia uses considerably- more home-grown timber than imported, a fact that is not generally recognised by,the United States. ’ A;-.:,; A Australian Lumber' Consumption (Feet 8.M.) Year.- •• • ; Home-grown. Imported. Total. 1913 ' .... 548,713,000 455,590,000 1,004,303,000 1914 .... 568,605,000 326,248,000 894,853,000 19.15 ■ .... 448,224,000 257,079,000 705,303, 1916 ■ .... 436,502,000 200,451,000 636,953,000 1917- .... *400,000,000 169,981,000 569,981,000 * Estimated. United States Supplies Half of all Imports." The United States supplies Australia with onehalf of her requirements of foreign soft woods. New Zealand comes second, with her exports of rimu and white pine, largely for food containers. Following in importance are Norway, Sweden, Canada, Japan, and Russia. The following tables show the imports from the various countries for the years 1912 to 1917, inclusive: — Australian Lumber Imports. 1912, Feet B.M. United States 231,840,006 . New. Zealand , 93,602 000 Norway , ~...: 49,959.000 Sweden 30,980 000 . , Canada , 13,699,000 Japan - 11.,912,000 Russia 9,270,000 .All other .... 3,090,000 Total 444,352,000 1913. , United States :.. 258,295.000 New Zealand 64.488.000 ■ Norway „ 62,584.000 Canada ‘ : 13,277,000 Japan ;....... 15,998,000 Russia • 11,1?0R00 " All other 1,518,000 ’. Total 456,794,000 First Six Months of 1914. , United States 130,777,000 - New Zealand 41,655.000 - ; ; Norway 32,776.000 - Sweden. .' 18,343.000 Canada . ; 3,641.000 • Japan 2,560.000 ' Russia 2,482.000 i./ - „ All. others 1,066.000 - * —— ;—■ v. Total , 233,300,000 -

1914-1915. United States 172,896,000 New Zealand 71,025.000 Norway 49,440,000 Sweden 14,147,000 Canada .'. 3,346,000 Japan i 12,576,000 Russia 3,302.000 vA,-;< All others . 2,199,000 Total . 328,931.000 ' ■ \ 1915-1916. United States ~... 140,954,000 New Zealand 75,255.000 Norway 18,409,000 . Sweden 9,352.000 Canada 654.000 Japan ~ 12,425.000 Russia 212,000 All others Total ' ' 260,146,000 1916United States 111,726,000 ■ New Zealand 76,616.000 Norway. - 3,315.000 Sweden .....; 26,000 - Canada 1,700.000 Japan 8,665.000 Russia All others 2,462,000 Total 204,510.000 . ■ 1917- • United States 85,927,000 New Zealand r... 64,469,000 Norway Sweden Canada 11,986,000 Japan 1,999.000 Russia All others 5,748.000 • Total 170,129,000 Baltic Stock out of Market. At the present moment the American exporters have but little competition from the Baltic producers, since the imports of Baltic lumber into Australia have been small since 1915. Dealers in Australia, however, are looking forward to heavier trading with the Scandinavian manufacturers in 1920. Prior to the war there were regular subsidised lines plying between the Baltic and Australia. The distance is in round numbers about 12.000 miles. The rate on sailing vessels carrying one to two million feet from Sydney and Melbourne was 35/- to .70/- according to port of. loading and the freight market, using Gothenburg and Fredrickstad as a basis. Partial steamer cargoes, 57/6, The Baltic

rates were the cheapest lumber rates in the world, equivalent to 2/6 per 100 superficial feet. The lumber rate from Sydney to Melbourne, a distance, of 500 miles, is 5/- per 100 feet. The freight from New Zealand to Melbourne, 1500 miles, is 10/-. By comparison, the exceedingly . low lumber rates from the Baltic will be noted. The present rate from the Pacific Coast lumber ports to Sydney is 37.50d01.; it was formerly about lOdol. Domestic Timbers have Advantage. Although the cost of producing domestic timbers in Australia is. high, owing to scarcity and inefficiency of labour, the home-grown product sells very much lower than the imported. As, however, the local timber industry is carried on in a comparatively primitive manner, due to the comparatively sparse forests, inaccessibility and difficulty of bush transport, most distributors will welcome the time when prices and other conditions will allow the importation of foreign timbers.