THE TIMBER INDUSTRY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 231, 30 September 1929, Page 3

THE TIMBER INDUSTRY.

PROPOSED LEGISLATION. REPLY TO CRITICISM. The article which appeared in our issue of September 24 under the heading of "Timber Board Bill" was brought to the notice of Mr. Arthur Seed, secretary of the Dominion Federated Sawmillers' Association (Incorporated) in Wellington, and he comments on the article and the statements made therein from Mr. A. E. Odlin as follows:— "In the first place, the opposition from the timber merchants is definitely ■ not unanimous, for such opposition is not supported by the Timber Merchants' Association of Dunedin, and actually the proposed legislation has strong support from quite a number of timber merchants in other centres, especially those who have taken the trouble to fully understand the bill and its aims. "It is incorrect to state that the proposed Timber Industrial Efficiency Board is to be set up to 'control the industry.' Its aim is to assist the sawmiller towards greater efficiency in production to compete with imported timber. Is this what, certain timber merchants (who incidentally are the large timber importers) are afraid of? "The, Timber Efficiency Board (to shorten the title) cannot be likened to the Dairy Control Board, or the Meat Control Board, as Mr. Odlin seeks to do, for these latter boards have to do entirely with marketing, the product (and herein possibly is their weakness), whereas, the Timber Efficiency Board is designed to deal with the troubles of the industry at their sources—the processes of production—and remedy wasteful methods and endeavour to cheapen costs. There is an infinitely greater field of service open in the direction of organising for the restriction of costs in industry than for the mere fixation of prices. The latter comes too late in the process of industrial service to be of any real economic value.

"There is nothing whatever in the bill to even suggest the statement of Mr. Odlin that it will 'simply create a new Department and add to the number of Civil servants.' There will not be need for one single additional Civil servant when the bill becomes law. In fact it is specifically designed to avoid any such possibility; and as Mr. Odlhrs statement mainly rambles around this theme it will be seen how atrociously incorrect is his conception of the measure. "The bill also is specially designed to obviate 'Government interference with industry, , but, contrawise. to permit the sawmiliers to establish a 'board of directors' for the management of their own business. Of course, this 'board of directors' will also aim to prevent any interference with the production of timber by the timber merchants themselves (the mere traders, as distinct from producers) and herein perhaps is where the shoe pinches sufficiently hard to create such a howl of opposition. Boaders will be able to judge for themselves, but the merchants are certainly 'crying before they are hurt.' They seem to be raising a bogey to 'boo' at."