WEST COAST INDUSTRY

Hokitika Guardian, 17 October 1923, Page 1

WEST COAST INDUSTRY

REVIVAL IN TIMBER -MILLING. AYELUXGTOX. October 13. Air A. Seed, secretary of the Dominion Federated Sawniillers’ Association, has returned to AVellington from an extended visit to the sawmills of the AA'est- Coast of the South Island. He stated that the timber industry in that district had passed through vo;v severe slump conditions during the past two years or more, and millers had been having a bad time, many of the mills having had to close down, and others worked but part time. There was evidence now, however, of a distinct- revival in trade, which seemed to be dueto the provision of through railway facilities to Canterbury via the Otira tunnel. A lost of the mills were reopening, and commencing to run at normal capacity. Fully 20" more men had been engaged in the industry during the past three months than at any time in the previous two years.

One thing Air Seed observed during liis visit to the mills was that in almost all cases the log supplies were becoming further and luither removed

from the loading stations on the Government railways, and that in very many cases was entailing long and <-ostly logging tramways. 'Hie country in which the the logging was now being carried on was very much rougher and more costly to work than was the case on the AA'est Coast until compaiativelv recent times. These considerations seemed to indicate that the people of Canterbury were hardly likely to secure •the cheaper timber that had been looked for with the opening of the Otira tunnel. There appeared to Air Reed to be a considerable increase in dairying activity throughout AYestiand, and just as sawmilling bad now replaced mining as the mainstay of the AA'est Coast population, so it seemed that dairying would gradually increase ns .- awmilling started to wane.

ayertayard no: Mr Reed stated that great interest was being taken throughout the AYe-t Coast in the British and Intercolonial Exhibition to lie held at llokitikn between December 15th. and February 2nd to celebrate the opening of the Otira tunnel, and to commemorate the

diamond jubilee of the province of Westland. ISO 1-192-1. The promoters of the exhibition, had adopted the appropriate slogan of “Westward Ifo!” and almost every other pa.it of New Zealand excepting Wellington had got busy and secured space for exhibits. Tho people of the West Coast appeared to be taking Wellington's backwardness in this matter somewhat to heart, and the commercial interests here, said Mr Seed should ho alive to the fact that Canterbury is making quite a big display at the Inhibition as a bid to secure the trade of the West Coast, which has hitherto been done principally bv Wellington.