TIMBER.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 April 1922, Page 2

TIMBER.

CAMPAIGN AGAINST WASTE.

A leaflet intended primarily “to encourage co-operative effort on the part of the wood-producing and the woodusing industries in the closer utilisation of the Dominion forest resources, and to illustrate the vital necessity of protecting the New Zealand timber industry by a more equitable Customs tariff, drawn. up on scientific lines from a forestry point of view, against' the excessive importations and dumping of low-grade foreign timbers,” has been issued by the Dominion Federated Sawmillers’ Association. The leaflet is based on data supplied by the State Forest Service,

According to this leaflet, it is estimated that the present 17 per cent utilisation usually experienced in New Zealand timber operations could be increased to at least 50 per cent by the development of the following practical measures:

Use of Low Grades.—Consumers of timber should select a quality to meet no more than necessity demands. The selection of a grade several times beyond actual requirements will cost the purchaser and others wanting a similar article more than it would if a lower grade had been taken. Use of Shorts and Small Pieces.—large amount of timber in New Zealand is utilised for boxes, joinery, turnery, lath and furniture work, which call for short lengths and small sizes, and the practice of those engaged in these industries has' been (and is), to order, their requirements in ordinary full length and building sizes and to cut these down to the smaller pieces (or •‘small dimension stock”) required. This practice is not only most wasteful, but also tends to higher costs, for were the users of small dimensions stock to standardise their requirements (as is done in other countries), and were the markets for such known to the sawmiller the whole of their requirements could lie secured from the present log waste, i.e. the sawmillers’ slab heap and “shorts”. Thus not only could these “small dimension” timbers be 'procured at a lower price, but'by the higher utilisation of the log the whole producing cost would be lowered and the full length and building sizes now sawn up, to provide small pieces would be available for building purposes.

Utilising Every Tree.—Unfortunately little information has been available in the post for the wood-using industries regarding the characteristics and properties of the native timbers, and many valuable trees have consequently been left to rot in the forests. It is hoped, however, to remedy thi s stae of affairs within the near future and to see all species and grades employed In the most economical fashion possible,