NOW OPERATING 13 MILLS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 16, 14 October 1942, Page 6

NOW OPERATING 13 MILLS

N.Z. Forestry Group In England

MEN WIDELY SCATTERED (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.)

(Special Correspondent.)

(Received October 13, 7 p.m.) LONDON, October 12.

The New Zealand Forestry Group in England which began with one mill in September, 1940, are now operating 13 mills, 10 of which they designed and erected themselves. The mills are all of different types, some Dieselpowered and others steam. Their total average weekly output is 400,000 super feet, the best week being 486,708 super feet. They are milling oak, chestnut, spruce, beech, larch, pine and elm. All the wood is handed over to the Ministry of Supply and used for aeroplane parts, the railways and the Navy. The military are milling 85 per cent, of the wood produced in England today. Australians are turning out slightly less than the New Zealanders, Canadians are operating 40 mills, chiefly in Scotland, and English units are also milling. New Zealand companies are working in three different districts, directed by a headquarters commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel J. G. Eliott, Hawera, whose adjutant is Captain C. McManus, Auckland. The companies are commanded by Majors Courtney Biggs. West Coast, G. A. Gammaii, Miunaku, and D V. Thomas, Hawke’s Buy, thus Biggs, with four mills in Hampshire ami Sussex, has a -mill 120 miler> from headquarters, adding to the problems of administration. Felling Parkland.

This New Zealand Forestry Group is confronted witli different problems from the ordinary run of timber millers' work in the Dominion. For a fore arranges for men’s food, quarfore urn rages for men’s food, quarters and medical service. There are 120 road vehicles to run and maintain, in addition to keeping the mills working and repaired. Members of lie forestry units work under very different conditions from those to which they are accustomed in New Zealand. They are mainly felling'parkland or “gentlemen’s country.” compared with the razorbacks of the New Zealand bush. They do not use tramlines and ali the timber is hauled from the woods and carted by road to the, mills, often us much as 10 miles, but reading conditions are good and the loads, varying between 10 and 15 tons, are easily lorried. In addition to cutting timber in the woods, they are felling hedgerow timber, the men working in many scattered areas.