IDLE TIMBER MILLS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 407, 16 January 1909, Page 5

IDLE TIMBER MILLS.

THE WEST COAST. • s ■ ! A BIC FALLINC-OFF IN OUTPUT, j —' . .1 OREGON COMPETITION. 1 "There is practically no demand for Now- J Zealand timber," said tho local representative. , of a'timber distributing: agency.- .which con- , trols forty mills on tho West Coast of the. ' South 'Island, as hti handed to. representa- - tivo of Tee Dominion .the following-circular, which had: recently been addressed to, the - various sawmillers whose , output was ..controlled by his agoncy (tho West Coast Timber ) Trading Company, Ltd;):—■ ... (Circular.) TO SAWMILLEES. Owing to the congested state of the Australian markets, -we have definite, instructions to cut nothing further until late in February. - We are endeavouring to, make arrangements for the-shipment of what is now, standing ,on' skids, which amounts -to considerably over a million'feet. In any case,' no boat' can :be arranged for until late in .January, so that the present prospects are that no cutting willbe required for Australia until February. ..- Since closing down, no red pine Orders of any description have come to liana, so that there is. absolutely nothing to justify -the resumption of work.this month.—Tours faithfully,. .-, -.\ E. A. WICKES, " ■ ■ -Secretary. , "Tliat explains itself; doesn't it?" ho added, and went'on to explain certain as-:, pects.of the present critical situation'-in-, the timber industry' of Now .-"I,-hap-, pen to -know," ho said, ."tliat no iess tban| something like a. niillion feet of Oregon .timber—it may ho more,. I. speak only of what I have personal knowledge—have yet to ar-I rivo for uncompleted orders alone. I also happen' to know that architects.are.consist-, ently; "specifying Oregon timber for. their contracts—even down m Hokitika', ; with' ; the New Zealand timber at tho back door, so to speak, this sort of thing is going on. It is not 'fair to our own industry." '.. . Shrinkago'in West Coast Output. : "Now," ho continued, "hero,are-sortie fig-, ures which will more, clearly than. I could probably tell you the effect of the competition of . foreign timber on the. output of Now Zealand timber by oiir inills on tho Coast," and ho jotted down'the following table of comparisons: showing the . West Coast Timber 'Company's imports to Wellington alone for: the two last quarters , of 1907 and 1908:- . 1907- 1903 ■ feet., ' ': feet. Third- Quarter: ... 1,581,000 '~ ' : 597.000 Fourth Quarter ; ... - 3,191-,000. 555,000. ' Total 4,775,000 1,-152,000 Forty Mills and 800 Men Idle. "This a decline on tho • half-year as compared with, ths figures of 1907, of' 3.323,000 feet. .; Taking the figures month by month, the comparison is even more depressing. The year 1907 began :ivitli 173,000 feet, and steadily mounted up until, in December, tho closing month, the record, 1,336;000 was touohed. January of 1908 showed that the deliveries totalled 620,000; February, I,o4l,ooo;'March, 090,000; then a steady .rise until June—B93,ooo. After that tho slump began;. tlip year 1908 l closing..'with'"a dismal', tally for December 'of 17,000 feet! "Tho position to-day-is," lie 3 went on to say,.'"that, in the'sphere.'offin- - dustry controlled: by the West Coast..Timber [ Trading Company, 40 mills and 800 hands ; are idle. Hero is, antitlier aspect of tho situation :— ■: 'v . Fall In Railway Freight Business;' - "In 1907/ the : Now Zealand Railways . freighted 18,773j000 feet 1 froih'yariojis; part's : oi ' tW v North Island 'to Wellington In 1908, the'.;:-.railways :i.freighted':: 'tonlj 9,027,000 feet! Tllo figures ffiveti.. represeni ' tho aggregated; tallies- . for ' : '4-w,eeklj periods in each,year—tho thirteenth 4-weeklj 3 period is not included-,f.ftr th6:r'eto6h tb4t"-the j. figures for 1908' are hot yet complete. ; The comparison, as it stands, l is; statistically'corroot., _ ... . .. . -

Rod-wood v. Totara.,-'- [ "Another alarming factor is tho advent of | tho. American 'red-wood' ;as ■ a' competitor of- | iotafa.'"-Tho latter ; sell9Vat 10s. the' red-wood':at- 209: extra : Not a very serious comjietition, .it TFiIJ be.said.But the red-fropd is- stuff'--=th'o prime of tho output-, It would be .impossible to place', specially-selected totrira on' nnder'i a much price. Local Mills. ■ ■■■! ■ ■ Our representative. also interviewed .-.Mr. Hopkirk, of the' firm ofi M'lJeod, '{Weir,, and Hopkirk,; with reference to" tho latest developments irt tho situation- locally.;.'/Have, the mills'from which you got your supplies closed . down yet?"' ho was asked.- --- "Well," he replied, "they have' never Opened, :They close before Christmas >for the annual holiday, although this, ye'dr. tho; event , took: place a fortnight earlierii,..aiidthey havo not. yet reopenod." '• : "And what about your supplies?" .Was tho next question. '• ; v'-vi'wtir- • c .i- -- "No need,-to'- worty...about;■ supplies'!.- if thero's no demand,"- said.Mf.:Hopkirk. "It's bad enough to.- have.. to soil t at,low- prices when there is a steady demand.'- But 1 with low prices and no demand where: are ydu?"' Affairs in Southland. ~ It .13; estimated - (states ? th'e\- "Sbutiiiincil News") that the mills bf. wh'ic&'j (including Ijhoso in tho Catlins district) liuhi- ! bor 75, employ, .on : an-average, 14 hands each; when in .full'.work,. 50... this '-gives' the "number -of 1 hands'. 'These'wet's''liflt' all put out of employment during the period for ■ which tho employers decided to closefive weeks from December.,,s/,. 190.3—a5. somo 30 mills did not stop beyond the usual timo taken at t-ho end of ever.r year: ■■ This leaves approximately 45. which did not close down, anil as : the average number .of employees at each was 15, tho number who havo been out of work for tho five weeks ended Saturday last totals 67fi, whose Would amount to £303 15s. per day,- dr £9112 .10s. for tho fivo weeks. The men havfi not lost ■this amount/because, fortunately, there, was a good dear of work to bo-obtained; in other directions. - ■

Not a Rota'fttory.Measure. - In .conrorsatioii ■witlr (i sawmiller, a ; rer presentatiye of, the. "News'' 'further learned that some of the 'mills x :haye' materially ;r.£ duced stacks since, tho oessaiion ' of- opera-' tions, but in! other, cases .there lias -Veen ; very little' impression made.., He.'.'also, said, in reply to ,a question, that the cost of production would not admit of a reduction of price ; so as to enable them to compote with' Oregon pine; and lie explained, that for ' sotiie time before the: closing . down of tho mills he Lad been unable to work at a profit, so he stopped,;, leaving £3000, the value of the mill, machinery, etc./lying idle. He deprecated '.the '.impression' which he said was formed. by some of- the employees that" the mills were, closed as a-retaliatory measure to consequence of ..a . .rise £n wages, being granted some of the: men by the' Arbitration Court'. He stigmatised this as absurd, stating that employers had no such feeling against the men, and that the stoppage was found imperative' on' account'"'of., the slackness of trade. In fairness to tho men, it ' should be stated _ that as a whole, they recognised the position in. its. proppftaspect, and did not ascribe' personal motives ,'to ;the millers. ' :