The Fielding Star. THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1886. White Pine

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 23, 5 August 1886, Page 2

The Fielding Star. THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1886. White Pine

I '■'.'* '"■'- -'■ *'i ' ' -"' . '•' ' < V : '~i ' / i' \ Another 1 attempt is b>ing mad© to prdmote the export pi whjtejpine by getting the Governnient'io^reduce the ! railway tariff, on timber .for export. Tijis time the moyemeni'vorrgi^i^in Taranaki. Mr AY BBOWN/a aawmiller j of iNgaire, is in thitf district obtainiiig signatures to a petition: praying 'that a reduction of 35 per pcn J r be made.. We have seen the petition, which sets forth; that jin the localities t n^me^ tb,er^ ( are extensive white pine: forests, the^ timber from which is admirably adapted .for. foreign mwketa, >;but; which the sawmillers arorunablo to utilise owing to the enormous expense of j putting it on shipboard 1 . /It is>alH6| pointed out that, 'a very.lar^ pprtign^ of th« settlers on the deferred .payment sections are compelled, by" the regulations under whiOh they hold theirland, t^ fell and destroy large quantities of valuable timber, the greater part of which would be exportid if thje tariff were reduced in the 1 amount; petitioned for. The petitioners are— justly— of the opinion that, no r extra engine power, would Ibe required; fur-; ther than that new in use, to haul three or four times thel quantity of j timber at present taken' by 1 rail. Tie ] arguments in favor of this scheme ha^e .already' "been nsed , in those' columnSj and our readers will jaot require, them to be repeated.,.,, "We, have grave doubts,: if, at a time when, the revenue from the railways was in. a more* prosperous state, : and y when limber— Hcarried dn ' the" ; ! :Wa f nganui section of railway especially-^- was ; a larger and more important factor," the ;Qovernnjent of { jthe ,^ay. refused, to make, any, epncess^n unlesa, bound up, with pkjectionablo, conditions which made it/pracJbicaUy inoper»tive Jnthey^ i^ill now, when the revenue; fr^mt railways is falling off in; every direction, tie forward in allowing any reduction*: t^ ! b* miado^iri the tariff JfaYihiaffl stands. We are iuclined 'to that befdre the cWuses in the petinolri we're accepted as J conclusive ' bV ' the' promoters, they did no^talce into theix counsel ike BawmiUers.in a^nd Manawatu, who are. men of large Experience ' in theft; business, naving cilso .Had many valuable lessons taught ttem by collißion with t^poWiOra that, berr-experionces and iegseas »f great practical; value in a case like the present where there ara so many- and powerful influences to b* counteracted. The deficiences most' apparent in ; the peti^on can be supplied in a schedule ] after "the signatures havo beeii pbtkined, and sent to the Government, they are as follows :-— The, number, pf sawmills, quantity of timber now being sawn, and capacity ; average of, white iptnei foriasts in. the vicinity of each mill; number of hands now employed ; estimated numbers in families of employes ;-' number of Hands for whom, extra employment would, be created! if the white pine trade was; festered .; and the : estimated numbers of years it would -take to clear the forests. This information could be supplied by each proprietor or manager, with sufficient iaiccuracy, in a few hours. The reason we consider it necessary is that Professor Kibk's Itepprt .011 the. New Zealand Forests would be greatly reh'ed on by th^ Minister, and thatreport is deficient in tnany respects on the headings we ha,ve mentioned. The member for New Plymouth, Mr Samuel, has promised to assisti and we are confident the ' member for Manawatu f will render valuable aid, but we have very little hope for their success. ■■. ■ ■ ....,•