The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times SATURDAY, JULY a, 1926 TIMBER RESOURCES.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 July 1926, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times SATURDAY, JULY a, 1926 TIMBER RESOURCES.

Ax opportunity has bo?n afforded' just recently of conning over orne interesting particluars relating to the timber resources of Westland. The history of the timber industry Logins with the early rushes to the Coast, when mining pursuits called for timber supplies and habitations. Many thousands of folk flocked to the Coast, and it can well be understood the forests were raided for building material. The first mills hereabouts were established in 1803, that is over 00 years ago. The local mill with the longest life hereabouts is that of Malfroy and Coy. at the Three Mile. That mill lias been in existence for oiser 30 years, and is going strong still—stronger than ever in fact, for the mill has of late been rebuilt, and tlie iron tramway feeding the mill with logs pushed far back on tho northern side of the Arab ora river. Looking round the centres of population where mills have been established the longest, and where milling has been in vogue for the full GO years, the area depleted in relation to the vast area, say, of Westland alone, is very small, comparatively. The store of timber here is still vast, so vast that the raid for six decades lias made but a small cut out of the enormous store of timber, nature in her bounty has provided within the confines of Westland alone. Such being the case, It must be realised, and the fact should lie stored in tlie mind, the timber resources of the district are such that milling as an industry will long be in. the forefront of industrial production in Westland. Such a source of employment gild wealth production might well have the care and, consideration of the people as a whole, for the prosperity of all is more or less bound up in the welfare of the industry—for here, in point of fact, is the great store of timber on which supplies may lie drawn for long years to come. It is manifest that the advantage from tlie utilisation of the timber bore can come only from outside markets, for with the number of focal mills there is now a very large surplus. The fostering of markets is essential, and not the least important is oversea trade. Very early in tlie history of the district, timber was exported by sea from Hokitika to New Zealand coastal ports, and about 1870 tlie first consignment of timber was sent to Australia, being shipped direct from Hokitika to Melbourne. For a considerable period thereafter a fleet of sailing vessels traded between the two ports named, and quite a considerable export trade resulted, despite the low prices then ruling for timber, but production was less costly. When railway communica- ' tion was opened between Hokitika and Greymouth some thirty years ago. an- , other phase of the trade was brought • about, for with the sawmills opening along the railway line. much of the timber trade from this district was diverted for shipment to Greymouth and that erolu- 1 tionary change went on, encouraged as 1

it was by the unfortunate happenings which dogged shipping enterprises operating from this end. Nowadays all timber export passes from Westland by rail, to be shipped either from the port of G’reymouth, or to continue by the .railway to the distributing centres on tbo East Coast, made possible by the completion of tbs mountain tunnel, aiid the final linking up of the East and West Coast railway—an event which inaugurated quite a notable period for timber milling all along the West Coast.