"THE MEETING OF THE TIMBER TRADE."

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 75, 29 June 1878, Page 3

"THE MEETING OF THE TIMBER TRADE."

' TO THE EDITOB. *" Sib,— Mr Thynne, m his letter pub-' lished on the 26th inst. m your paper, ■ asks "how, such an important and- out- ! side question as to the best port for thei export of timber frpm this district came to be discussed at this now celebrated : timber meeting at Feilding P" arid pro-; ceeds to represent the chairman of that meeting; Mr Halcombe, as acting, m ' conjunction with. Mr Cross, m them.- . terests of Wanganui as opposed to Foxton. /.,..' § The reason that this question was ; discussed at i*he timber meeting held ati Feilding is a very simple, and obvious ; brie. Mr Halcombe, m convening, the. /meeting by circular; named the plifce! mostcorivenient and centra}, for the law- j. millers' of the district, whose opinion- . and grievances the meeting wtfs intended; to elicit ;' and when the sawmillerg were so met, they naturally discussed the. question as to which port they could ship most cheaply from. Mr Thynne, when quoting from the report of the meeting, makes a misstate- :j ment, which, though no doubt unintentional, is yet calculated to, throw a false colouring on Mr Halcombe's action m this, matter; He 'makes Mr Halcombe say that he introduced Mr Cross "to furnish the meeting with statistics of the Wanganui timber trade, and.particularly w to its adaptability for being ; the tfepjot; of the export timber trade of the Manawatu IKstrict. Mr Halcombe's actual expression, as reported m the " jldvocate, " wasj "and particulars, as to its adaptability, &&>"—_ remark of (quite 1 a ; different tenor to Mr TKj^ne -g version. X „XX X.XXX.... : . . .yy" X■' were sent to all siawmill owners m the Manawatu, to Mr, A* Macdonald of Awahuri (as representing large Maori timber interests); to , the editow of the Jocal papers, and^tbMr ThynUe's partner, Mr Linton, of ! JP&U jnerston, _^r Cross attended instead of | Mjf LDuncan, a large sawmill owner m tho Sounds yrjao was unexpectedly prevented from coming, and wheh called On, gsve the meeting his views as 1 to Wanganui facilities for export. The, xpeetaog Required no similar expert to represent Foxton, as most of those present had had a lengthened experience of the facilities oJJered by that port, but tbey w:ere, of course, glad to bear what the ;■ Wanganni advocate had to say on his; side of the question. It must also be noticed that Wanganui is a market for sawn timber, fencing, firewood, &c., to a large extent, as well as being a possible port of export, and that Mr Cross's practical experience as ft;tii»ber f irierehant m that town enabled hm .to giFe the meeting valuable iafor-

■maiion'on -matters' where there could be no possible rivalry with Foxton. To dispel Mr Thynne's impression that Mr Halcombe had for his objeot anything antagonistic to Foxton interests, it ought only to be necessary to give publicity to the circular he issued convening the meeting, when Mr Thynne will see that while „ Wanganui. is not even-'nienfciohed, Foxton is spe-1 dally pointed out "as the port for tlie Manawatu white-pine trade. The following is the text of the circular: — Wellington Club, Wellington, New Zealand, June I, lß7B.— Dear Sir,~Ll have taken the .opportunity afforded by my being m Wellington to bring to the notice of the Hon. the Minister for Public Works that ,a very large addition to the timber export from the Manawatu District, and alarge increase m the railway receipts, wJll certainly result on the reduction of the railWay charges on white pine timber, especially ifshißped from the port of Foxton. Tbe Hon. Mr Macandrew is good enough to promise that the matter shall have his full and favorable consideration, but requires a definite expression of the: opinion of those most capable of judging, and who will be affected by the proposed alteration m the tariff, as to what reduction is necessary, and what increase of traffic is likely to follow such reduction, &c. In order to arrive at as full and influential an expression of opinion as possible, I propose that a meeting of the sawmill ownerb m the Manawatu District shall- be held at the offices of the E. and C. Aid Corporation, at Feiiding, on Monday, the 17th inst., at 11 o'clock, a.ni., to consider this and any other Mattel's affecting the timber trade >of the district, arid I have to request the pleasure of yoiir attendance on that occasion. I remain, Dear f Sir, ,Ypurs ever truly. A.' Foiisxi Halcqmbb. L Mr Thynne combats, JMir Cross's as^ ' sertion^ seriatim, hut Into the question of the correctness of Mr Cross's statistics there is no need to enter; both critic and criticised may rest assumed"' that whatever may be said or written/ to uphold either Wan»anui or Foxton as the best port, will have very little influence on a sawmiller's decision. He, like every other business man, will send •his -freight ■to the port where lie can^ ship it most cheaply, and a penuy per hundred feet of freight m favour of: Foxton will outweigh aIL the eloquence of Mr Cross, or anyone else who may be. sanguine enough to try to persuade said sawiniller to;shipL»ia Wanganui, or vice verba, x- yy- y y., , y , . Should the expenses on the timber shipped 'at each port be exactly the same, then possibly sentiment may step iv, and. the sawmiller say, "As it mates no difference' to my profits, I will give Foxton the .preference, as being m. my own distriot."l But with that exception, each port will have to stand on its own merits, and a heajthy competition between Wanganui-and Foxlon will^ustify the old proverb"; and be the soul of the timber business. ,;, -, a'L 'T" VA. As one present at the timber meetyog, and well acquainted- with , the t pub-; lie spirit which nas actuated ' MrHalcombe to move m.a matter so important; to this district^ as the timber question, I have; dnri_g"his absence m Taranaki, ventured to^ reply to Mr Thyhnie's- letter, which certainly does not to my mind represent Mr Halcombe' s- action^ fairly .— I am, «&c, . D. H. Macasthub.