TIMBER INDUSTRY

Hokitika Guardian, 7 October 1930, Page 3

TIMBER INDUSTRY

HEAVY OIPGRTATJO'NS

ORDERED BEFORE TARIFF

(Auckland Star.)

The plea .for a. ban cm foreign timber has i>oen heard again . since the arrival of. the Golden Cloud from Los ngeles with 1,500,000 feet of Oregon p|T]e and redwood. It is asserted that one shipment will deprive 45 men of one year’s work. Many, employers and employees in the timber. industry view with disaproval the continued flooding of the New Zealand markets with sawn timber 0f... foreign origin, but merchants who are importing declare that they have to carry stocks of Oregon and redwood because builders demand it and architects show preference for it for certain classes of work. In addition they argue that their importations are necessary to keep the prices of. local woods at a reasonable level. It was thought that the recent increases' in' duties on timber from overseas would place a‘ decided check on importaliohts and assist to revive the timfber. industry, which has gone from bad. to worse in ecent. years, but it is, yet early to judge just, what Hie effect 'of.‘the revised , tariff will be, ijhen again, , some nierehaiits are bound to continue importing under contracts which do not expire, until the end of the present year.

UNION (SECRETARY’S' PROTEST

Naturally one of those most actively opposed;: to the importation cv" tim- ; her is the secretary of the Auckland Timlier Workers’ Union, Mr F. J. -Phelan. Last. we#F he had occasion to writ® ,to Mr W. J. Jordan, M.P.. 'relative to the arrival of tlie A meri- ‘ can motor ship Oarriso with a cargr -of shooks for. making into boxes foi the export of fruit. “As you are aware,” lie wrote, “the importation tof sawn timber, doors, sashes, laths etc.,, has, practically ruined the timber industry in this country, throwthousgndq., of,, timber, porkers !ou,t r pf.- emplcjymeiit.;.; ;,AVe ,now ..find Itjafiljfruit...houses ape being, imported iw|th .a , •on ,du ( ty , \yheu,, tli., ,ape : ,contij,iiung flii other worjlq, - the . |3pjy®vn.meu I t, >,• paying ,a . premium, ,eix importecj ■ tim[her.;;: Jh. this is allowed ~ .U----eontinue,. |t rpust. elesq evprv avenur of employment ppep to timber .work; Jers. There is no need to import tim 'her of any description under the six/ <of 12 x l&yofl iits**eg«walenit.

| “If the Government is sincere in its desire to »assist, the-' unemployed, it, would-.: piahe....-provision ,-|mmedjatelv to meet, this position... /Those who re-, cpjirp forgigu, timber.. peedj,not the -dc ■-> n.iedi?;'buL hlie timber cehonhl be' ! duti.t'd' sizes- : .,by New? Zealand ,-\yorkers..VOne 1 w0,u,l d y hfvi'dly., th i niv; i t ■ ‘,vtd 1 liave to appeal to the Gove-rnman't.'Ae.. protect the interests of those -with papitajicip vested ./in ininy.wp.artieuhireTAdustry/:;v'and,;ajso'.<;t.hpse.:'iengaged jrifeiiHftt t\ly> a.re inidire-distress xaneje appea l to/yep. .£or.-<.;a6«i'st?tnc^. ’’an si '.r;

In assuring Mr Phelan of his symduty on lemons, jams, etc., to protect their industry, and yet imnor shppks' frohi foreign countries. That “owever,'. proved the difficulty of fixinr ;|ai’iffs' as everyone aiskbd for) protection for ; his products, and was unimipdfiil of,'“or even opposed to. the Claims, others. “I ,haA r e : seen the idle mills and the busy wharves, and there is some adjustment needed,” badded. “Some day ive shall settle dlieso matters in a common-sense wav liydanhjunderktaiKlirtg of one another’s needs.”

yDiscussing. the state of ■ the, tiinjber ' industry ? .iV;lr'PJielan said the Goverm. "inoittf -Was/ giving bonuses to vessels jijfYiyfttjfi .with' foreign woods in the shape of a drawback on Customs duties amounting to something in the .Xudifutyi of; £-75,000 -■ a- year.- "That was'beiijig -’done/to - the detriment of .-focal .fjjubeu.,. ( It took 30, men to produce, si,'million feet of t-imfber locally a year,” (ihcL-thns- ; it ; htould !be -seen that 'the f'Clotid’is shipment deprived 45 .men of twelve months’ employment.

The loss’to the industry, and the country was quite apart from handling and .railway, freights. Until the, Government woke up and prohibited •the importation of ,sawn timber so «loi)g' -would machinery in' New Zealand’s timber mills lie depreciating. IMPORTS TN. BULK FAVOUR,KIDAir Phelan said that if timber must 'he imported, and he frankly admitted .that a certain amount was re--(|iiired, then it should be brought • into the country in bulk. 11 that were done it could be cut to size by ’-NAw ■ Zealand workmen, and positions would Ibe given to a considerable dumber who were now walking the streets. The effect o.f recent, increas-es-'in' duties on timber' appeared-’"to have been overcome by foreign governments (making - compassionate /allowances to exporters so far as '»h ipping-. and freights were concerned. Sebing that t-ountn.es- like America: aiid Canada /placed restrictions' on New Zealand butter and other exports. the Dominion would be justified in placing a ban on their timber entirely.

- MERCHANTS’ VIEWPOINT. ¥Tie'"'other point of '-visw was expressed iby a consignee of some of the

... ‘Jtjtimber" wliidlT arrived Ibv the Golden Ltoud. He said tJiat all of his shipment was f ordered before the. extra duty w'ais recently placed on foreign timber. In tlie case of redwood many firms had entered into contracts t* take supplies until the end of to present yea. r in monthly shipments. !''ceiiig that the duty bad been raised from 7s fid to 9s fid per 10')ft., when the RecUvood Export Company of Ameiica came to look round for orders iir the New Year it would find, in all probability, that they would not be so'easy .to find. If i 1 were not -for the imrooifatioir of redwood prices for. New Zealand timbers would soar to such heights that it would not be economic to use it. Totara, was in limited supply, and lie doubted if sufficent could be supplied to meet the wants of joinery and building trades: In addition, throe-quarter redwood Was still in competition with local rini.u and matai. “AVe are linked-up with the local timber industry, and would scone see no importations of foreign tim her, but iso long as builders, and architects call for it wo have to keor it in stock,” ho. added. “If the mat ter were left to the merchants it is probable that they would go more ir for local timbeip and induce builder. 1 to use them.”

Another 'merchant said that the only reasqn that importations were made was that ....Now Zealand could not .supply as good -timber , as, -the Bacifm.coast for the same\ money. The new duty made-. very little different'', ip the case ,of shooks, because ...if ..the boxes into which tliey Were made Avert exported containing fruit, the original duty was. refunded. .