THE TIMBER INDUSTRY.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 380, 18 September 1908, Page 2

THE TIMBER INDUSTRY.

(to the editor. Sir, —A long teller from Mt Bolster, a parliamentary aspirant, appears in a recent issue of the Settls®. Mr Bowater champions the sawmilling in* duetry, which on the Ma in Trank lane has assumed considerable proportions. No doubt this industry is of considerable importance to the Dominion, employing labour and exporting timber. But Mr Bowater has lost eight of an important factor, and that is in the tranrmiseion of timber from the m ttrior to the coast. No doubt the Government should take into serious conwderatron the lowering of timber freights, as this would ericourage aawmillers to start; also, heavy royalties want reducing. But the greatest help this industry can get is lower railway freights and a railway by the most di sect route to the port of Kawhia, from which place it can be shipped far I cheaper than from Wanganui, Wellington or Auckland, and could be landed in Sydney at a very nominal figure. Then, of course, Kawhia is much nearer to the world’s markets than Auckland. Regarding My Bowater’s remarks about the spoliation of bush, while there Is a large plain without bush available. Of course our settlers hill at once see that Mr Bowater does not understand that bush land has a large amount of potash fertilizer, which is there only waiting the burn ing of the timber to give splendid results, and that experienced fanners will not take open fern land it they can get buah. Fern land is all right in places and looks nice and large to a new chum, but let that new chum pay for ploughing, manuring and all the expenses attached to cultivation ; and in the interior, where there is no salt spray to prevent it, a horrid grub eats the roots of the gra?s, and all know that grass, however deep rooted, will not grow without roots. Bush land is not all valuable on account of the timber it has grown. Take this dis trict where tawa is the principal tim bar and is no use for milling. The milling timber in many places is so scattered that sawmillers have found a dead loss, rather than any gain, to be the reward after buoyant hope? and bard. toil. What we want really ia to put Mid* acM» cl good tabes toad for

tte taiute. gin low®, rulwa, 'night. Sim the interior, bettor royalty, fadIm and a railway There no med to try Mpl toacfc experienoei bash farmers.tbdkorie ©fess of land is belter than another, *8 tbe bush farmers have proved all this, aud mb give facts. The cost of gracing open land is—Ploughing and clearing, 15s per acre ; barrowing, 8s; sowing and manure, 80s—this has to be repeated 8 times before the land is as g<y»d m bush land consequently a farmer would require to get the open land for nothing, and it it was not good” would lose his first outlay and probably sell to No 2 who would repeat the do«e an l make it payable. Mr Bowater, whatever he may be, is not a bush farutor. We must have a railway to Kawbia and lower timber fre gbt->. Thia is ’h9 ouiht <o all the Main Trunk tim« her.—Yours, etc., G. H. MACKENZIE.