WAIMARINO MILLING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1740, 3 May 1913, Page 9

WAIMARINO MILLING.

OUTLOOK IMPROVING.

It is understood that Messrs. Gamman and Co., whose big mill at Ohakune was recently destroyed by fire, intend to proceed shortly with true re-erection of the mill. The firm still holds a largo area of good milling bush, but it is probable that the new mill will hot be erected on such an elaborate scale as the one recently destroyed. There was some improvement last week in the timber trade (states the Auckland "Herald"), and the outlook is now much brighter. The demand for ordinary building timber hn3 increased, and millers are reducing stocks considerably! The advance in trado is responsible for increased activity in railway circles, and long rakes of trucks are being 6ent north every day to cope witli the output. "Timber specials," the running of which was practically discontinued for several weeks, have been resumed, but tho quantity of timber being railed away is not as great as it was son}P months ago, when, special trains were run almost every day. The danger of tho bush being destroyed by fire is one of the most important matters to be considered when the question of reserving bush areas is under, discussion. Evidence was recently given beforo the Forestry Commission at Auckland to the effect that a certain reserve in North Auckland was situated in tho wettest part of the North Island, with the exception of Mount Egmont, and was, therefore, not likely to bo destroyed by fire. Several localities havo the unenviable re- . nutation of being the wettest in New Zealand; but tho Waimarino mill-hands are prepared to lay odds that the Main Trunk district from Hihitahi to Taumarunui is the wettest, and that tho bush in that area is less liable to destruction by fire than that in any other part of New Zealand. Tho Forestry Commission will, however, be supplied with plenty of evidence on this point when it visits Waimarino.