NEW ZEALAND TIMBER TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1539, 7 September 1912, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND TIMBER TRADE.

(By Telegraph—Special Correspondent.) Auckland, September 5. The demand for New Zealand timbers has shown a marked increase this year. The principal buyers outside the Dominion aro Australian firms. The steamers occasionally carry small consignments to ports in Great Britain. Just recently the barque Titania was chartered and loaded a lull cargo of kauri timber at' Mercury 13ay and Whangnparapara (Great Barrier) for Liverpool direct. White pine and kauri are wonted in Sydney and Melbourne in all lengthy but although the supply at the various timber ports: has been quite up to demand in all classes, shippers have met with difficulties on every hand in securing tonnage. This lias been due to a great extent to tho extraordinary boom in tho coal trade calling for all the' steamers that were available. Owing to Die fitrikes at Home, however, there aro at present very few big steamers in New Zea- j land waters. As a result there has been I a decided slackening off in tho amount ot bunker coal required, and firms have had

an opportunity of laying in a supply .ashore and for tho hulks. Shipowners are now prepared to accept-reasonable charters lor the transportation of, lumber. During tho lost few months a tremendous amount of sawn timber lias l>?en accumulating at. both H-okianga and Knipara, owing to the scarcity of tonnage for transportation. Now an'effort is being mado (o cope- with the big orders mado by Australian dealers. Several of the Craig barques have, returned to those ports from Australia and loaded timber back without visiting Auckland as usual. The Kamonn is at present loading at ICaipara for the Union Company. The Whangano -is to follow shortly, and another Union steamer lias been fixed to carry a timljcr cargo from tho same port at a" more distant date. It is eeldom that there is not a sailiug ship on the loading -berth for timber at Auckland. The barques Rona and Northern Chief, and the' vessels ol tho Craig fleet, as a rule load largo consignments of kauri and wliito pine for Sydney and Melbourne. Formerly comparatively little timber was shipped from Auckland, it being the practice of-sailers to discharge coal here and proceed to northern ports to load timber back to Anstra'lin. Since the opening of the Main Trunk lino through to Wellington, however, timber mills have been started all through the To Kuiti and Tamnarunui

districts, nml the sawn timber is bi-ouglit to Auckland by rail. The s.s. Joan Craii; loaded ii considerable quantity of pine, -,\l Auckland prior to sailing for Jlokinnga and Kaipaia on Tuesday, but jis a rule steamers lill u]> at the northern timber port?, where- bijr lines can be obtained riglil from the mills, and tail lor Svdney or Melbourne direct. Although large-quan-tities of white pine are beinc utilised bv Australian firms for tho construction of butter Ixixos, it appears that Hires which' are not suitable for that purpose are mado up into furniture. White pine (alecs Hie stain much more freely than, timber of a better class, and by omployinßiChincse labour it is found to produce a really presentable article at a small cost.