THE IDLE SAW MILLS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 409, 19 January 1909, Page 5

THE IDLE SAW MILLS.

V ■•■■' : BraiOURS OF REBELLION. " -■•;.''■ ; FROM WAHtARAPA; ■ '?:- ';': A (DTTEIIGKirH— SPECIAL COEREsroSDEirr.V - ' :', . .** . Palmerston, January. 18. ■:]"-■■ The crisis in'tliQnjilling industry has been : : attracting great throughout .the.'■-..■-■ Dominion,, and., every. move has been watched .-':'■ . ;'• and debated' with the' keenest interest."•'•■: '■ ". Hitherto the millers have presented an un- '■' & broken'_'front to the enemy, and the.enemy'; '.■.' ; : has evidently- included the.'.general public .v. .:"' as well-as the Yankee, but-now ;omes news " ; ; iiofiia,,rebellion. On, Saturday a meeting of ...'': iWjair^rapa: millers was held'at Masterton, '■- ■:.. - : - paper has been informed on the ."' ; ■ lbes't 'authority that..they;have decided .to ..' :i r "sebede.;ftorn-"the association, and go :their . ' : ' : ownjr.wajtM'i'A ;Wairnrapa '" miller,. in ~conver- : . V, "satibn;:with r a press; represeutativo, said that ~: ; ..they, had, been, getting no ..orders atjall for '•.'; ■;■.//. ;timbDr.and;'spmetliin{;;had to be done.' The- ; ; - decision menns -that the association's price list, which' lias,' for five, or six years past, \ '::• fixed the price 'of timber both' for "the mer- ■;: ■ chant, and the public, generally,. lias .been : : sTipciJ;.o.ut,. ;and .the public will now have ';:";. ■ aii oppbftumty 1 of'jiurcliasing'direct,witliout : ;■..•.; tho : aid''ofvthe 'niideieman. l -The; miller-.said. : .-. ;•;■ that' tlijy'ih'ad very bold step, but... ; :' ■ ;•'• he corisidereS^tiiai"'-it should have been ; taken.- : -' : / r l-yearsfago. .The one: thing that kept millers.': "■'; "■ yin : ;the association was■ the ■ fact that they ;. : r .' : .; ; were-always.sure"of.'their money.at- the end of each month, and tliis meant a. (.'•:;: to;them.; He estimated that the turnover :';.:.. Mfie aß'sociation< ; f6r theVpast'sfive years had.' ;-;-.■: .been, about.£6B,ooo.a year, and,-of. this, .only,;' about £520 was' lost in;.had".debt-s;;, ; He ; was'■;' .■■",...'; ■'.. ■ sceptical to, the.propprtion. of bad'debts ;..■;; ■under the-now-arrangement:.- It is somewhat ..:'■-,"; remarkab!o-;<tliat,- : !: despite..■•.■the'.-, -authority .:■','< .quoted, for .the above information, a Press V - "me'ssage '.froni'-Masterton cast's : .-■' ..:■:': doubt upon-'the accuracy of .'.statements . -, made, and it would appear that either a . A misunderstanding exists on the subject: or .-- ,'t,halt"infgpuatio;jinrehtive to. business trans- . •■;':-.".-; acted; has'.leaked v ont. prematurely, and pos- .'.'■ -V isiblJT-.'affected 'situation;. ;!■V ■; r -li? -; : ,1-: i.o[The.-Mastertpn.-Press Association;.riie'ssage : ::.')•'■.■;,; referred'to above';was; ns.follows;— regard ■: :;J to : ;the matter-of tho alleged .decision of .the '"';. : ; :■ :AYairarapa sawraille'rs- to-secede 'from the' , ';AsSlociatibn ,and' v c'onduct' .tlieir . v.;.' ..business' as.;"p.rior to the institution..of .the , ~-;i associations, afr. W. M'Kone, manager of : : ; . ■ithe -Wnirarapa &!~iitillers! gives. ':':: anVcnipKatio'deiiSiil ",to' the and '"■■-. ■Bays he cannot uriderstsnd Jiow 'it could ': ; havo gone • broad. The meeting of : the asso- ' :', ciation was only an ordinary meeting, at - ;' : 'which business connected -with,the. J general: ' '■'-. '■-:'; manasement of--the ' association' was; ; dis- ■ V: cussed; ; "<-Nd.mention-was made of-any saw- .';' seceding. from the association, .nor, : ': so far.ss he knew, had there been any such ' .;- idpa, in the minds of the Wairarapa saw- '■':':':. millers. He can . scarcely/believe .■that ■ the ;' •• Palmerston North statement had been niade "■•••■. :\ on the. authority;of- any'.per-spn present at .: '..;'•'. the meeting. He was sure there could not .-.' have been another meeting, of. sawmillers in ■ : ■ .: Masterton on Saturday, because the associi- '■■": : :, .tion's meeting occupied procticslly the whole '■'' '.'■ of-the afte'rnqdn.]"/-• ; ; ." '':,.;■: ■'::,"A % Press-Associatifin message from Taihape, ""'■'. -i-/. in reference to the Wairarapa Sawniillers' : V ; : ■■ reported 'secession;-from the .association,- W'states that in answer to :an. inquiry. tho ' ... > secretary of the association wires:—"Report i; -'■'■' false;- no intention ■ disbandmcht; subject " never mentioned;:existing order certain'to ' continue," , : .: ;;y-. ;. • '..■'■[. .i, : .";