NATIVE TIMBERS

Evening Star, Issue 22445, 16 September 1936, Page 11

NATIVE TIMBERS

FORESTS DIMINISHING EXPORT PROHIBITION SUGGESTED Although the opinion was expressed by some that the export of native timbers from New Zealand should be prohibited, it was pointed out at last night’s meeting of the council of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce that this was a matter that required the attention of experts. After a short discussion it was agreed that the question should be further considered at a later date before a decision was reached by the chamber. Having sought the views of the Dunedin builders on the Hawke’s Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society’s proposal to prohibit/the export of the timbers, tho following reply was received from the Dunedin Builders’ Association: — “In New Zealand we have no regeneration of native softwoods on milled areas. All the timber that is logged is a direct cut into our future timber supplies, and the figures given in the Year Book for 1936 indicate that our forests have already diminished during the period 1847-1932 from 27,600,000 acres to 12,600,000 acres—a loss of nearly 55 per . cent, in 35 years. The output of timber is_ steadily increasing. The easiest milled timbers and the best stands have been exhausted, and costs have risen enormously.” The letter went on to quote the following extract from the annual report for 1926 of the State Forest Service:—” The period 1965-70 will see the end of our original softwood resources, and from that time onwards New Zealand must look primarily to_ her manmade forests for wood supplies, but in the meantime we must husband, conserve, and use our remaining forest wealth with the greatest care, for we waste every year, in the production of 25,000,000 to 30,000,000 cubic feet of sawn timber, five to six -times as much.” Plantation woods could not fill the place held by native timbers, the letter added, and pinus insignis was in tho main suitable only for rough constructional work. The amount produced in 1934 was but 3.68 per cent, of the timber cut, and increasing supplies were not yet available. Deducting exotic plantation timber from the total cut, there remained a gap of approximately 176,160,000 board feet still to be bridged, and New Zealand could export approximately 34,000,000 board feet of select quality. “ The end of the native timber resources in this once heavily forested country is in sight,” the letter went on, “ and exportation is hastening that end. In Australia white pine has a premier position as a non-tainting soft wood for the packing of butter, cheese, and other foodstuffs, and rimu is in demand for joinery purposes. Exports from New Zealand, principally to Australia, for the year ended March 31, 1934, were: Rimu, 7,150,514 board feet; white pine, 22,784,987 board feet. The export of white pine was more than 46 per cent, of the total amount produced m the Dominion. The material exported is of selected quality. The visible supply is, in proportion to the yearly cut, dangerously small, and it is essential to the well-being of our in-, dustries that export should cease and that wastage of all kinds should be eliminated as far as is possible.” Mr F. V. Drake stated that the only use for some of the timber was in the making of butter boxes and the like. The supply of timber was sufficient to last for years. If the export of timber were stopped, what would be the effect to the millers? Mr W H. Naylor explained that white pine was largely used for “ boxing ” in the construction of concrete buildings. In such a buildng as the new Post Office, for instance, there were thousands of feet of white pine. Experts stated that every country should have 25 per cent, of its area in timber, but in New Zealand, he understood, the figure was only 12 per cent. This was a matter for experts, said Mr H. L. Longbottom. and one'that should be looked after by the Forestry Department and the Department of Industries and Commerce. It was added by Mr Naylor that white pine was excellent for the making of fruit boxes. In reply to a question asked by Mr M. Stewaii, Mr N'nvlor suited that

pinus insignis would do just as well for boxing concrete as white pine, but there was not much of it. Mr Stewart said he understood that if some of the timber was not exported direct from the West Coast to Australia it could not be sold, as the cost of sending it to other parts of, New Zealand was very high. It was possible to bring some timbers from Canada and America to the north more cheaply than from the West Coast. The president' (Mr Newman Wilson) said that the Hawke’s Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society had asked for further particulars. Further discussion was deferred until the iicm meeting.