Timber Trade With Australia.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 January 1922, Page 4

Timber Trade With Australia.

Various points in connection with th e ! timber trade between New Zealand and j Australia were discussed in the course of an interview by Mr L. S, Camming, managing director of th e firm of B. B. Trappe and Co., timber merchants, of Sydney and Melbourne, says the “New Zealand Herald.” It was unfortunate, said Mr Gumming, that Australia should have raised the duty on New Zealand timbers, for it. had undoubtedly bad the effect of reducing imports, such as Baltic deals and Al'nskfi spruce, to be placed on the market at a. lower rate of duty. The duty on New Zealand timber was now 7s 6d per 100 ft. for furniture timbers, timber for box-making being admitted at Is per 100 on assurance being given that it was for box-making purposes only.

“Timber merchants feel there should he a. reciprocal ' arrangement between

the two countries with regard to timber,” continued Mr Cummin?, “for we

require your white pine, while you are in need of our hardwoods. The. New Zealand duty on imports from Australia is only 2S pep 100 ft. There is every prospect of a considerable expansion of trade in timber between the two countries, and I am very pleased to

know that steps are being taken to adjust the tariff v more equably. A reciprocal arrangement is most import-

ant in connection with timber. We have ample supplies of local timber for better grade furniture, but your white

pine is what we need in large quantities fo.- the cheaper kind, as well as for boxmaking. “Conditions point to a considerable increase in the demand for New Zealand timber in Australia,. Just- at present. and indeed for the past two ot three years, importations have been steadily diminishing. The imports for the first six months last year wore only half those of 1920. and the figures for 1920 only half those or 1919. The reason fog this is that during the war, when the country was in a flourishing financial' condition, and when imports fell away. .. lame number of mills start erl work, and very large supplies of Hnibcr were bruit up. Lately, hoover; 'many of tile mills bate ’ had to dose, owing to the increase iP tiihber workers’ wages, reduction in hours, and equally important, the reduction in efficiency brought about by abuse of the sie]< tvy clause in the new award. These conditions, together with the general “slump” have resulted in about 50 per cent of tho mills having to close. When local supplies of timber have been used up, there is no doubt that importationwill increase.” Air Gumming expressed himself as greatly impressed with what New Zealand had accomplished with regard to afforestation, the plantations of Rotorua., being far ahead of anything of Unkind yet attempted in Australia. During the war the payment of timber royalties greatly increased, through the number of new mills opened and the advance in prices, and the Forestry Department, was enabled to build up a considerable snip from royalties for the purpose of planting out large areas. The payments had now decreased, however, and the State grant was not largo so that nothing very much had been nt. temped as yet. The Federal Government had taken up the matter and we pushing it vigorously while the Forestry League was also doing excellent work iirousing the country to sense of the importance of afforestation already largely denuded to its native timbers.