SAW-MILLING.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 50, 18 June 1879, Page 2

SAW-MILLING.

.Of tho, various industries whiphjiasre).. sprun^ ; pp m our midst during thjs la-^. . depadiß,.;sawirii!illing has certairily4ak«a ■'* the leadi arid : has expanded wittt suchrapidity that from small beginnings"it has\beppriie the v staple industry^ of th© ' Manawaiu. A dozen years ago ther# '"_ was not a, single saw-mill' in*' the di«V ' trict. The process pi clearing was tlia old-fashioned one m xoguri m, the . earl*f " days of/settleinient — burning <jff!' after fahi-if. The Public. Works ! has, however, put an end.to that .system; and the ihtrbductipn! of^railway^a has given a surprising imptilsp tpsaw^ milling. ■■ This has been very, observabl* since the completion of the railway to Wanganui. There-are now'np less tham tjventy^three mills, m the -Manawatur either m operation or being- erected, twenty of these being within the Man* Chester Block. Andno wonder ; 'when, we look at our magnificent "'foreits, alo niisr with the most^valuaoie r tith-. ber for lu'l. i lg and. public works pur-, poses— totara, matai,' rinau, and wjnit© pi^e-rthe "only wonder is triat saw-inil-ling. on an extensive scale 'should not have; been more generally- adppted ' many years ago. The difflculty ' and cost of transport to a: market, combined : with^the- absence^ 'bfrV'8 D P e * ,^ a PS' J "^9* , rather, unemployed— capital afc^that time, operated as an eflectuaKdeterrent. But all this has been changed -since. th» period to which we have alluded. Tho railways' offer every facility for the conveyance of * timber to a marketvorfporti and until recently money, was -plentiful and readily obtainable at easy rate's,, and. industries haying for their object the* development of the resources or tho. Colony, were protected and fostered by the GrovernLnetit of ?tne .day. Saw-pail-ling sprung up wjth a vigorous. growth fc mills dotted the bush; through which, the railway ran, numerous orders formachinery were 2 sent home,., and -all went " merry as aaparriage. jbell." At the present time, however, saw-millings is-^-teriipprarily - trust-r-uridef : cloud. 6 wing to the insensate -policy*, of the present Ministry m remitting the. duty on foreign timber, bur; saw- millers, are" exposed to keen competition with, powerful and less heavily handicapped, rival. America an.d Ta-n-ania are pour-* ing' m tbeir/ white pine and other timber^ and underselling pur Colonial producers^ arid, as a natural- corisequen have been compelled, to reduce wagos^ or work a^a loss^ if they a,re' n6t to ,'b.a. driven out of their legitimate; 'ma r "k e t altogether. It is tpbe hoped, hpw ever,. that such pressure^will be, brought ta bear upon, the GoYOrnment'^atl.tljeywill see the pecessity.*^^^ the duty they so impoliticly repealed when revisino[tKp Customs 'tariff. ? Bad they^been able to«see beyond their .nose,, they must ha^voperceivedihe disastrous effects which must inevitably, folloyirsueh a, stpp-Trthat •fftpijey wonld'b/e/sent-. out of the Colony for that with which, she is so lavialily endowed j 1 'and that the railway s-^cp'pstru6ted; ; at! so^eat-a 1 ; Cbs.t^twould be denUdpd':of,,o)r-,serioußlj^ curtailed _in, one! of the c^ief itecps of ' receipts! JWith evidence ; of such- results .before- thorn] ', t^e &vprp^^t; willj not hesitate, we thinks to' thex :> duty- on -^fpreign- tim.ber, , an.d /we.'sbopev yet to see .the^s.taple inaustry of j&ttia.- .' watu'iri as prosperous s.tate, as. ever.., 1 "W/e'iptend giving notices of the various; milts. in,tha &$~; trict, together vwith useful, stati^tici^' showing the: -growth, to which, .^the in^. dustry has attained. \ .