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Hokitika Guardian, 7 January 1930, Page 4

The foregoing article though some ten rears old is, unfortunately, as true today as when it was written. It is an article which appeared in the “Grey .uver Argus’’ when the force and effect of the Sir Francis Bell forestry was revealed in relation to the Westland sawmill mg industry. Recently passing comment was made on the matter, and the. “Argus” last Saturday had something to say in rcnlv. Its argument was 'Very different to that of a decade ago when the shoo pinched the industry so severely. Actually, the general situation so far as Sir Francis is concerned, is still unchanged. He was adamant so far as the millers’ and

local body representations were concerned, and ono of the severest industrial blows ever experienced fell on the timber industry No amount of platitude now ran remove the memory of the (rushing effect of the restriction Mr Francis imposed with such cast iron effect. It is well we can rejoice today that the embargo is lifted, but hut there is not any credit to Sir Francis for that. We can rejoice also that the trade with Austral a is again reviving. The Labour Government’s new tariff policy has assisted in that respect, as was acknowledged previously in these columns, but behind it all is the one cardinal factor to create trade-demand. There is the demand, and Westland has f the supply, and there we have the result in the improved and improved trade. The expensive forestry policy of New Zealand has done some good in certain directions, but no balance sheet has yet revealed the cost of it'all to the people. With Reform, due to Sir' Francis’ supremacy, the forest servite was. beyond review, and the cost of it all must have piled up tremendously. Some Government now or in the near future will probably do something to review the burdensome cost both on the industry and the people, and then will come sooner further relief to another of the ills the country suffers from as a result of the Reform administration.