WORLD TIMBER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 66, 13 August 1947, Page 3

WORLD TIMBER

■INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE SATISFIED BY 1960 At a recent international conference on timber supplies it was estimated that world needs would not be satisfied until 1960. The present needs of Europe are double the available supply, while Britain wants four times as much as she is receiving. In New Zealand the shortage is acute, but supplies are increasing, says “Consumer News.”

Timber is such a versatile raw material that it is essential in near-

ly every industry, and it plays a large part in our daily lives, as, for example, in buildings, houses, furniture, transport, packing cases, paper and matches. Before the war world exports of

;imber were -more than 10,000,000

tons annually. Last year they were half this figure, in spite of the pentup demand of six years war. The present exports of the three great European softwood producers— Finland, Sweden and Russia—are only one-quarter of pre-war volume. This is mainly because the war destroyed many sawmills and disrupted the transport system on the Continent. The timber industry itself requires timber for railway sleepers and rebuilding mills.

Shortages of other materials is also affecting timber production. Finland wants iron and steel and Sweden wants more coal to produce more timber. Although not a large producer of timber, Britain has had to reduce production because. large inroads were made into accessible stands for war purposes and, during the recent coal shortage, timber workers were switched to the production of wood for fuel. .

In contrast to Europe, Canada increased timber output during the war, and continues to be a reliable source of supply. Obviously, however, European claims on Canada’s timber are more urgent than those of countries like New Zealand, although this Dominion is receiving a little. On the demand side there is not only the leeway of past scarce supplies .to be made up; there is also the demand for the rebuilding of millions of homes destroyed by war. Russia has even imported timber to house her many homeless. New Zealand is more fortunate than many other countries even though imports have been drastically cut from 29,838,000 feet in 1938 to 14,938,000 in 1946. Timber production in the Dominion for the year ended on March 31 last was a record of 367,000,000 feet, which was 14,000,000 feet greater than the previous record set in 1926. Seventysix new mills began production last year, while 29 ceased operations. Additional mills are starting this year and it is expected that timber production will reach considerably greater volume. The record timber production for last year was reflected in the record of 9,463 houses built. However, New Zealand grows mainly softwoods and has to import hardwoods from Australia for many forms of construction. Australia can supply some hardwood, but she expects equivalent supplies of New Zealand' softwoods in return. New Zealand’s timber shortage will therefore have to be overcome mainly by her own efforts.