Increase In Timber Prices Granted

Chronicle (Levin), 7 August 1948, Page 4

Increase In Timber Prices Granted

WELLINGTON, August 6. The Price T'ribuual has approved of Lncreases in tlie loading point prices of timber. The inereases in respect of • , indigenous timbers are: North IslaiUl, ls' 4d iiet per 100 board feet; West Coast, Nelson and) Marlborough/ ls ld: Bouthland and Otago, ls. In respect of exotie timbers. an increase for wage costs of 4.2od 100 board feet was ap- ' proved in each of the three temtorial districtS. The Dominion Federated Bawmil'lers ' Assoeiation claim covered . three separate applications — North Island, net per 100 board feet 5s 9.$Sd; ■ West Coast, Nelson and Marlborough, ■ net per 100 board feet 5s 1.035d; ' Bouthland and Otago, net per 100 board 11 feet 5s S-.90d'. The claims ineluded portions of the ■ additional wage cosc dating- back to 1 October, 1-947, and not yet allowed; i additional depreeiation and fire insur1 ance cover; inereased cost of milling requirements; and an additional amount [ to'place the ihdustry. ,on a reasonable ; economic basis. It. was also urgedthat ■ approyaf -be gi\feh' ;tQ.!Mhe iftdustiy t'0 ' add future wagef; qi .(ti 4as.es : prices - without the necesSity- of 'making appli- ; cation ^to the Tribunal for approva:. The Tribunal declincd the application ' for additional deprecia-tion and lire in- ! surance cover but allowed 3d a 100 board fedt for inereased cost of indigenous tim.jcr milling requirements. In order to plaee the industry on a reasonable levei inereases for indigen- ! ous timber of 9d per 100 board feet in | the North Island and 5d in Bouthland ! and Otago were approved. It was also decided in respect of indigenous timber ■ production to grant inereases of 4d per : 100 board feet in the North Island, Od 1 in the West Coast, Nelson and Alarl- - borough, and 4d 111 Bouthland and ' Otago to. cover the cost o,f wage in- ■ creases granted by the Court of x\.rbitration as from October 1, 1917. The . application for auromatic approval of i inereases in price in respect of future : wage inereases was deelined. In the t.otals, therefore,, th.e Tribun- . al's approvals are: Nortli Island, net - per 100- board feet ls. 4d; West Coast, n Nelson and Marlborough, net per 100 L board feet ls 7d; Bouthland and O-tago, . net per 100 board feet ls. I11 respect of e.xotic timbers an increase in respect [ to wage costs of 3.25d per 100 board I feet was-approved .n each of the three territoriai districts. It was staued in the decislon that it was apparent- that at present there exist several anomalies in millers' and ' merchants ' price- costs which are unI justiliably favouring the production of eertain sizes in preference to others and that it was -the intention of the Tri1 bunal to reetify them. The Price Con- ; trol Division had I een requested to - prepare new -price fists for both millers ' and merehantn with this end in view, and until such time as these lists had been prepared the inereases authorised bj' this decision would be treated as a : net surenarge only wliich will be oper- ■ ative from Wednesday, August 11, 1948. : Merchants wonld not apply any in- ! • creases until the customary three . vveeks' stock elearanee period had * elapsed. The Tribunal1 comprised Mr. • Justiee Hunter (president^, Mr. P. N. 1 Holloway (member), and Mr. L. Munro (associate member).