THE FEILDING CHRONICLE AND ADVERTISER. WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 1879. CULPABLE DELAY.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 59, 23 July 1879, Page 3

THE FEILDING CHRONICLE AND ADVERTISER. WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 1879. CULPABLE DELAY.

* The weeks of the Session are gliding by, and yet we hear nothing of* the statistics being forthcoming; which a committee of . the.i Sawmiller's Association 'Was appointed to collect, ; with regard to the injurious effects which. have resulted from the abolition of tha duty of foreign Atimber. This apathy oh the part of ; those most interested m the matter is to ""be regretted. - It is only, natural! for the .Government to suppose that if the abolition of the duty pressed heayilyj'upbii the sawmillers, the latter: would riot; fail*' to let their, complaints! b.e heard, and m the absence of- any repro-, sentations to the Jcontrary, the Government wjould naturally imagine that the great cfutcry about the. injury done to the ■a^miliers' interest had either no substantial foundation, or. that the evil had been greately exaggerated. We are glas therefore- that Mr. Walter Johnston j the member ifor Manawatu has taken the subject m hand, and that ! early last week he gave notice that on Friday last he would ask the Colonial Treasurer a question referring to the timber- duties, which it wwats t generally supposed would prove, a precursor to the introduction of a Bill having, for its object the re-imposition of the duty on foreign- timber. The debate on the Address m Reply hajj pre v;eo,ted i;he ques-

tion as to the quantity of timber imported during the last two financial years being asked, and it is extremely improbable that an opportunity of doing so will be afforded to the member for the district before the present Government is ousted from office. But a change of Ministry will not it our opinion effect the question. Those who succeed to office will doubtless be as willing, and anxious even, to' remedy this as any other part of the mischievous legislation of the Grey Administration; Those who have resided m, or travelled through the timber-producing districts are well aware of the stagnation which has settled on this industry since tha repeal of the duty on foreign timber, but the denizens of the plains, or of cities such as Wellington or Christchurch, will require a few statistics to enable .them to appreciate this. 1 These have been furnished by a wellinformed writer m the Wellington Post, under the signature of " New Zealander." The writer truly observes — "The sudden check- which "this business has received during the present crisis, clearly reveals the consequences of a short-sighted legislative policy, when abolishing fisoal duties, which no outcry from the-Jcountry had demanded and discloses forcibly to the general public what extensive interests are interwoven with this branch of Colonial industry." This latter phase of the question i_, .generally speaking, lost sight of! when -the subject is under discussion.-' The statistics adduced by " Nsvw Zealander " are from official returns compiled m (for?) 1877, from 125 saw-mills, amd show the approximated produca of the sawn timber from all the district for that year to have been at least 120,000,000 superficial feet, affording employment, directly or indirectly, to many thousands of men with their families, who depend chiefly on this ' source for their living. The value of which, at the prices obtainable m the localities is upwards, of £500,000. The shipping freight on two-thirds of the total amount, at 3s. 6d. per 100 feet, he estimates at j £120,060, which sums he contends' would go to the coasting trade. This sum it is evident is lost to the Colony, together with the amount of the duty repealed, l whatever that may have realised ; while more than £250,000, or a quarter; of a million sterling,' is sent out of the Colony for the American lumber which has driven the native; article out of the Southern markets. But there is another phase of the question to be considered.: Between the Manawatu and the 'Rangitikei there ar« twenty-two. mills,. ]ahput twelve of which have sidings on the line for which the owners have to guarantee freight to the amount of. £300 per annum for ten years, amounting t0'£36,000 for the dozen mills. There can be no doubt that were the duty re-imposed, these would m a short time be double, and their produce would form a yery important item m the railway receipts. This will be the more readily imagined when we state that the railway freight from one mill alone m this district during the past twelve months amounted to Upwards of £900. During the six months 'prior, to the abolition of the duty twO firms albne sent away South upwards of 1,000,000 feet of white pine,the railway and shipping freights on i which would tot up to some £.1750. Since the repeal of the duty, we believe that not a stick or a board of white pine has been sent to the Southern markets. With; such facts as these before them, no Ministry can hesitate for a. Moment to re-impose the duty on foreign timber. The whole question narrows itself into a very simple issue. Are we to waste a large proportion of our, magnificent forests and send hundreds of thousands of pounds sterling but of the country, at;a;time ;when money isAso' scarce, to supply the place of that which we have thus wantonly wasted ? _ Are we to denude pur railway of a considerable amount of revenue ; to render our coasting trade unprofitable ; and to paralyse and cripple the chief industry of the jlsland by ; allowing matters to remain m statu quo, or, by re-imposing /the duty, .to - utilise our own products, and so keep our money m the country ; to render our railways and coasters as profitable as: possible ; to foster the timber^interests, and by so doing develop to'the fullest extent the resources of our magnificent forests? The question affects all classes pf the community, and we venture to say that, should the present state of political parties resolve itself into an appeal to the country, there is not a man m the Manawatu or Auckland districts that will vote for a candidate who will not pledge himself to support the re-invpiosition Of the timber duty.