THE TIMBER INDUSTRY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2044, 22 November 1907, Page 2

THE TIMBER INDUSTRY.

lOAV POVERTY BAY IS NEGLECTING A GLORIOUS HERITAGE.

FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS AT TAP (JiIH'IKITIA A GIGANTIC INDUSTRY MAY SPRING.

A MEMORABLE PICNIC,

Xlio little party which accepted Mr. Fred Hall’s invitation to visit and inspect tlio timber mills at tlio place with the nmpronouncablo name, a few miles beyond Pulia, yesterday was certainly sufficiently varied in its constitution, to act as a fair representation of the community. There wore half a dozen builders, three architects, two engineers, two solicitors, two auctioneers, two editors, several merchants and Government officials, a. bank manager, and a clergyman. With such a conglomeration anything might have happened, but it only remains to be added that tlio' intentions of the promoter wore strictly honored to this extent, that business was left behind in Gisborne, and the little party spent one of the most enjoyable holidays that .could possibly bo conceived. True, there was a commercial aspect behind the wholo affair, of which more anon, but this was not allowed to intrude itself, and one and all gave free vent to the glorious feeling of exhilaration that comes to townsfolk when they .spend “a day in the country.” Gisborne .was left by tbo morning train, and on .arrival at Puka conveyances .were ready to take the party on to Tapuihikitia, where iMr. James Drummond, mill manager, was at hand to welcome them. Seats were found for all on a timber trtick, and the journey was continued over tram rails for the mile which had to be traversed before the mill was reached. It was a delightful ride, under ideal circumstances. The morning was clear and bright, with the sun shining just strong enough to make walking irksome and riding pleasant. The route followed the banks of the Waipaoa river, and in the adjacent valley the bush clearings had a beautiful appearance. Most of the timber had been cleared, but hero and there were clumps of native bush that dotted the green fields,' where sheep and cattle were grazing. -Further along the river was crossed by a suspension bridge, which attracted such general attention that a short halt was made to investigate. . The bridge has been erected without the usual engineer’s plans, according to the directions and .under the supervision, of Mr. Drummond, .and the result lis such as to elicit the universal admiration of all who have seen it. The framework of the bridge is supported by strong wire cables, and these are firmly held -at -the ends_ by immense mata-i posts, sunk 14ft in the earth, and firmly strutted from bottom to tojj. Although the bridge is over 100 yards in length there was no sign of shake or sway as the waggon load of passengers passed over it. The cost of the bridge has not exceeded £350, which does not include the cost of the timber. As an example of effective and economical work in bridge-building .the structure might with advantage be studied by local bodies .throughout the Dominion. Passing on visitors found themselves suddenly entering the heart of -the bush, .and the shade from the clustering tops. of the tall mata-is was duly appreciated, for by this time the rays of the sun were striking down too fiercely to be pleasant. A BUSCH iMILiL. A short passage through the winding path and soon .the clialiming tranquility of the scene was broken by the buzzing of machinery, and in a' few minutes .the .path emerged from the forest .and .disclosed a bush mill in full swing. iWhat a sight it was, and what a noise! As the mill was approached, it was almost impossible to bear oneself .speak. Tlie roofed-in building with open sides seemed to be. alive with circular saws, which buzzed and roared with vindictive ferocity at all who came near. Men moved to and fro amongst itho whirring machinery and pushed heavy timber about, apparently with the nonchalance .and ease of the strong man at a circus. A closer examination, however, explained things. ‘ The pliant is a mostexcellent one, and every possible labor-saving device has been adopted. As the huge logs, 2fb to 3ft in diameter, .and about 10ft 'in -length, -are brought to .tho_ mill they are laid oil a slightly inclined surface, which falls .towards the platform •upon which they are to rest for the first cutting. The heavy log* is therefore placed in position -for outting with little difficulty, and a platform travelling forward on rollers .moves it towards the rapidly revolving saw. This -is used to divide it into about three pieces, and then it is passed by another incline to a saw which still further subdivides it. Thus the work goes on, and in a few minutes the best part of a tree in the rough has been sliced and planed into good timber, ready for stacking. ‘ However, notwithstanding the ingenuity of the machinery, there still remains plenty of hard work that keeps the men in constant perspiration. It is healthy work, though, for there is no lack of fresh air, .and ample room for vigorous movement.

Obviously the n'ex't stop was ito visit the spot whence the logs were being .taken, and a short walk into the ibush found a, couple of bushwhackers hard at work. They were a pair of Maoris, and surely no sturdier sijeoimens of tlie race could have been selected if the Dominion had been searched from end to end. Standing each about 6ft in height, and—despit© the Maori- tendency to develop flesh —of excellent ipropor- - tions, they elicited general admiration .as they made the echoes ring with the heavy strokes of the .axes. “Here,” remarked a townsman, with the eloquent appreciation thatis so readily forthcoming at the sight of another mian working, “you see the lAfaori at his best.” A “scarf” having been made at tlie side towards which it was desired the tree should fall, a two-handed sa.w .was utilised, and quickly cut through the greater part of the thick trunk. As they, were working against the natural balance of the tree wedges were next used to force it. towards the desired direction. Presently the huge trunk quivered, hung for a brief moment on .the balance, then crashed to earth with a crackling thunder-like roar that shook the vicinity like an earthquake, and sent thousands of echoes reverberating through the forest. These soon died away, and the stii 11nosn of the atmosphere was .more marked tlia.u before, till -a little fantail, recovering from its fright, aga.in renewed its cheerful chirping, and -the other tuneful . inhabitants of the place followed suit. Next‘came the bullock teams to pull the logs as they .were sawn to the mill. These stolid, ing brutes would appear to the casual observer utterly unsuited to work which involves careful movements on a narrow and twisted path, but the teamster, by the flicking of a whip and the utterance of some peculiar .monosyllables, ajipeared ito be able to make them obey his every wish. In this way the fiallen tree was quickly taken to the mill, and as already observed, required but a brief period before being placed on the stacks as finished boards. " THIS TAPUIJiIK IT!A OUTPUT. The mill, which was formerly worked further up the river until last year’s flood washed away .the bridge and necessitated fresh plana, has only been placed in its present position about a week, but i;> already in thorough working order, . and is turning out about 12,000 ft a day. It is estimated that there are about 8,000,000 ft in the bush that is iust being commenced upon, the ■timber being chiefly m itai, of firstclass quality. It is also Mr. Hall’s intention to utilise the firewood that is there in abundance, so that the local supply for next winter should -bo’ considerably augmented from this source. At present the

timber, after reaching the terminus of the wooden tramway, lias to be carted on the road a few miles to tlio Tuba station, but it is intended to con fin uo tlio triuncrails to P.uba, and thus save tlio double handling. Later oil it is intended to work a bush at AVaihora 'Creek, where there is said to bo 20,000,000 ft of white pino. In this connection a. suspension bridge is to bo placed over tlio Waipaoa river, and tlio timber taken by tram rails to To Karaka. The working of this bush will moan a largo export of white pino to Australian ports, and in thus providing a return cargo it is expected to secure lower freights on .Newcastle coal brought to this .port. RAMBLING THROUGH THE BUSH.

After ,an excellent lunch had been partaken of the party dispersed and spent tlio remainder of tlio afternoon rambling through the bush, and passing tho time as only men can ■ wlto are having a few hours of complete relaxation from the cares of a work-a-day world. Some lay ■under tilio trees, yarning of old times, and an pleasant reminiscences lived again tho sweet times of the past. Old memories wore revived, and story followed story, and so the day wore on. Others fossicked through tlio woods 'for supplejacks and ierns, and others rambled for sheer love of rambling. Ho would indeed be ■ a queer mortal to whom itlio native bush would not appeal under such circumstances. There were tho stately matais rising straight .as an arrow, with branchless trunks a hundred feot and more, until towards the top came clusters of the .most delicate foliage, through which the sun’s rays gently penetrated and tinted with beautiful shades. Gigantic tree ferns were there, ivy-like iilants climbing up tlio younger trees, the wild clemafus in full bloom decorating natural summer-houses, and shady’ nooks of all sorts of fantastic shapes, from which tho tiii, the fanita.il, and other native birds issued their joyful calls. There is no country in tlio world which has a richer natural dowry in .its native hush .than has New "Zealand, .and the charm of ,a ramble through its woods is something that cannoit he expressed in words.

THE COMMERCIAL ASPECT. Mr. Fred Bail's organisation of the picnic wias devised in order that tho leading 'business mien of the town might see wliat the Ta.puiliik.itii a mill is doing, what may bo expected of it, and also to awaken a deeper interest in the minds of Gisborne people as to the possibilities of the timber industry in Poverty Bay. On this point Mr. W. L. Rees, whoso enthusiasm for any.project which is likely to '.advance tho position of this district is _ well known, discussed tho pi,respects in. an interesting manner. He said: “AVhat you have seen is only the preliminary to a much more extensive scheme. In the Tahora and Motu districts and towards Waikaremoana there are fully 2,000,000,000 feet of timber comprising matai, red pine and white pine with a sprinkling of honey suckle and other ornamental woods. And what are we doing with this magnificent heritage? Burning it down at the rate of £2OO, 000 worth a year while we are importing £40,000 worth from other parts of the Dominion annually. This is simply disgraceful. Think wliat it would, mean if this timber were brought into Gisborne. We should save an immense sum of money on the timber itself and at tho same time wo should with white pine provide outgoing freights to Australia, and in this way would be able to get our coal freights from Newcastle materially reduced. This would of course mean cheaper coal for the consumer. I am trying to get the local bodies chiefly interested to put tramways or light railways to tap this country .and l lease them. As a- matter of fact a committee consisting of tho Harbor Board, the Borough Council and the Cook County Council has been in existence for several months, but has only had one or two meetings as we have been waiting to see tho Harbor Bill passed before taking further steps, as that project also has a bearing on the scheme I refer to. The railway that I have in mind would run first of all from the Harbor to AVaihirero branching off at College Road to Patutalii. From the. latter place it would run to the timber- country which it would first tap at Wharekbpae. I can arrange for the formation of a company which will pay for tho use of the tramway, to cart its timber, an amount that would be sufficient to pay interest on , the cost Of construction, a substantial sinking fund, and also a bonus to the local bodies interested. Tho tramway would be laid with iron rails 2ft 6in .apart with the exception of the Gisborne-AVailiirero section which to comply with Mr Marcbant’s conditions for the harbor works would probably be 3ft Gin. The .whole of the line would be available for passenger traffic.” “That being the case where ,would the expenses be materially less than in the running of an ordinary .railway line?” queried the newspaper' ■representative. “Tho actual construction from Patutalii would probably run into £IOOO a mile,” continued -Mr. Rees, “b;ut we should save very -considerably on the running expenses. There would be no need for expensive stations or highly-paid staffs to conduct what would be chiefly a .goods service.”

“You see this project cannot be taken up privately because no .private organisation would be permitted to lay the tramway, and, secondly, because a public body can borrow so much more cheaply. However, there is no question as to the financial soundness of the proposition or of the immense benefits that would accrue to the district in consequence. JTor one thing, such a line would provide an easy means for conveying metal cheaply to the backblocks. The County Council is considering a proposal now to borrow £200,000 to expend on its roads, but what chance can it have of conveying several hundred thousand loads of metal into the back country by means of waggons? In connection with this scheme the proposed company would probably-obtain rights from the local bodies for the utilisation of water power for . electrical purposes. Independent of the public line tlie company would arrange to lay down wooden tramways, which would act as feeders to the main line.” “This,” continued Mr. Rees, “is essentially a .matter for combined action. The individual settler can do nothing towards getting his timber to a market. "The company would make terms with all these owners for their standing timber and timber already fallen which could bo used.”

“In other words then, Mr. Rees, you suggest that instead of waiting for the Government to carry itho To Karaka. line through to the Alotu, the people of Gisborne and Poverty Bay should at once take the matter into their own hands?” “Yes, that is so. We’ll have to wait ten years for the Government railway to get to the Motu at its present rate. Then the Government would charge 3s Gd per 100 ft for carriage from .the Motu, whilst the line I speak about could carry it for Gd. I believe,” concluded the speaker, “that we would send down •30,000,0,00 ft a year, showing a very substantial profit annually.” .Shortly after 4 o’clock the party again took seats on the timber truck and commenced the return journey. Prior to joining the train at Fuh'a Mr. .Bright, manager of the N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Company, on behalf of the party, thanked Mr. Hall for his hospitality in arranging so enjoyable an outing. The acquiescence of the company in this sentiment was illustrated by -rousing* cheers.