Dominion Timber Rights.

Progress, Volume XVI, Issue 1, 1 September 1920, Page 17

Dominion Timber Rights.

National Action Urged. Several matters affecting timber supplies for the Dominion were placed before the Commissioner of State Forests (Sir Francis Fell) by a deputation from the Timber Workers’ Federation recently. That groups of workers should be enabled to undertake co-operative work in the milling of timber and the erection of houses was urged by Mr. Hiram Hunter. It was suggested that if associations of workers came together they would render a benefit to the community, and should be given financial assistance.

Mr. E. Phelan said the country had timber supplies for only 10 or 15 years ahead. He knew that the Government was proposing to take on some practical scheme, but in the meantime something should be done to conserve the existing forests. There was too much private enterprise and contracting. The time had come when the Government should take over the control of the milling industry. He was glad the Government had set up a special department, and he hoped it would be independent both of the millers and the workers. It would pay the country to appoint inspectors to see that the timber cut was used to the best advantage. • In this way millions" of feet would be saved to the country from the slab heap and the. * sawdust heap. The federation was

anxious to assist the Government to the full extent of its power Mr. T. Turley condemned the Government for allowing the price of timber to be raised without consulting the workers in the industry, who could have given valuable information. He protested also against the disposal of milling rights to private syndicates. Sir Francis Bell said that he had been very pleased to hear the deputation, as they had voiced many of the principles which he had been fighting to have recognised. But when he went down to the West Coast and advocated those principles they passed a resolution to the effect that the sooner he was out of the Government the better. The waterside workers were against him because he proposed to stop export of timber, though how he was to conserve the timber for the people of New Zealand without stopping export he did not know. They knew that reafforestation was only a small part of the business. They had one area of 37,000 acres which had been replanted, at Waiotapu, and which he believed was the largest area replanted in the world. It cost >£300,000, but they could not go on that way. The most important part of the policy of the Government was the conservation of the timber and maintaining it for the use of the people of the Dominion. The question of co-operative milling had been under consideration for some time, but it was not desired to put it into operation where timber was coming off areas over which millers held rights. Of course co-operative milling to reduce the price of timber by competition was a different question entirely. He took the whole responsibility for the increase in the price of timber, and he was afraid that he must plead guilty to not consulting the workers, but it was the millers that they were at war with, and, having examined all the books and statements of costs, they fixed the price at what they considered a figure which would allow the miller a fair profit. He did not see how the workers could have given any assistance, except m checking charges. Any information on these lines the Department would be pleased to consider. He agreed with what had been said about inspection, but they were having the greatest difficulty now because they imposed such conditions on new leases of State forest areas.