TIMBER INDUSTRY

Hokitika Guardian, 13 March 1928, Page 4

TIMBER INDUSTRY

SIGNS OF IMPHQVEMENT. AUCKLAND, March 11. The moderate protection which the Government gave the New Zealand timber industry through the Customs tariff at last session of Parliament did not produce the efl'ec-t of reducing importations for the last three months of Millers advance the opinion, however, that tlic industry is rising steadily, hut surely to greater prosperity.

“It is generally felt throughout the industry,” the Dominion Federated SaWillillers’ Association says in reporting to the Department of Industries and Commerce “that the depth of the depression was reached towards the end of 1927, and that with the country generally the timber trade is now on the eve of a. sure ail'd steady tide towards more prosperous conditions.” Though the new scale of duties became operative in the middle of Sopteniber there was no diminution in the quantities of foreign soft wood' imported in the following months; in fact there was actually an increase of 3,7)7-1,020 super feet in the quantity of these competing softwoods imported during the last quarter of 1927 as against the quantity which came in in the corresponding quarter of 1920. Prominence is given by the millers lo the operations of the committee of departmental experts which the Prune Minister established to confer with nominees of the industry, with the object of improving production and marketing schemes, so that recovery of trade might he more quickly attained from this improvement from within the industry itself. “There is gratifying evidence that the sawmillcrs’ organisations have whole-heartedly taken up the idea initiated by the Prime Minister,” the millers go on to say, “and for many months past representatives of the industry have been at work with the special Government committee in drawing up and maturing a new and improved system of grading and classification for New Zealand timbers, which is adopted throughout the industry by sawmillers, timber merchants, architects and builders will unquestionably greatly improve the status of New Zealand timbers with timber users generally.” The decline of the export . timber trade also showed itself adversely in the returns, which disclose that during 1927 there was a decrease in the total quantity exported of well over three million feet. A pleasing feature of the export figures is a slight increase in the quantity of beech sent out, accompanied by a satisfactory increase in value.