OUR INDUSTRIES.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 74, 13 September 1879, Page 2

OUR INDUSTRIES.

: f;' c )The .bustle ;~and> ; excitement ; p? selection times, the, demand pj\) pu^' ajailab'le 1 space caused by lengthy reporti^of political meetings m arldition-fco those of the proceedings of the different lqcal governing bodies; whieli r tebe plMe'ife ) sWtfed J i§£e r^rpJ,{hafe prevented ' our ; ' cdntinuing ias'^i'e^iVldf^i at/d kWifrterruptedly">"as''^we iePulaV^HiVek wished, out notices of the various mills m North Manawatu, which IVave "unquestionably contrir bxited so . largely, to. :i the. : material prosperity of fchis"p9J.'tion of the XJoiintj^j We hope,, howeve*,,in itihernex^fev?, issues tafinish tlie task we huTe^underfcaken',' and" then to sum_nmmeAhAjresujts T .so4.hat j)itr readers will be able tofrnke \n at a " glance the extent ofj the paftKfMar lndffif/r'jl'untler'reyiew: ; the. amount of bapi6ai-i|iVested<; Yh&jilumber of hands t^y^hichiafr^n^rdfftem'p^ymehti aridj the aid which it_ ; affords to the works 6f' settlement. ■'".■■ "' ' ■'.} -y ,^~ r "; ;■ ' In resuming^)u.i?inQtice9,fw9rTniist remark that ito, whjite.ves mill; we- ujent. fclie )cry was still tlie..- gamejj; the. ; ' burden lpf” the sawmiilers' lamentation -being the baneful effects producfd'Apn"their industry by the remission; b£ the.; rdufcy.qh'^fdJeigQ timber, (thereby con^letel^shuttingtoutrfr^ southern I m,^rk^t8 i = fclje; s^pjenjaid^ whiJe'-'pihe growing all around us, witli exceptional luxuriance. ' Of'.cduree ? some 9awmillei*s are more affected by^the, remission than othersj t accOTding tb^ie, miiire', of ) their respective "b^ush," but one and alj.^d'eplbVe' its : e'ffeet |m having .produced^a^generaj , stagnation ; o£ their trade; We' Tietfrd' i tvil;h; considerable ■ surprise Mr Walter Johnston, m one of his election addresses express. his^opinion that rthel remission 'of the .'duty ; could lbut ; affect'th"e3sawtrii]ling industry:: m.: ajijvery jsligfet^flegree. This opinion he arrived at from the fact that since the duty-h ad-been taken off only two, and a half millions of foreign timber had been nnpprted. : thinking that Mr. Jiohnstpnjcnust :haTe;beep: speaking " off thjß,,bppkf",.an,d^^jihaibiiis.'.niembry must have failed him quoting . statistics. Surely such aiijnjjgmjficant amount as that could not have operated so powerfully asito have .destroyed tl)6' coastal, trade of the Nor,tfi .Islandj. and sp effefetuallyv have parralyzed'.the timbfer iridustry.* The* statement, however, d6es not talh^with the quantiliies exported from this district previous to remission, an 9 tKere'fore we think that Mr. johngtpn has .made ,a mistake; m Jimiting the quantity 6f .foreign "lumber " imported to 2; 500,000 f 6et. '" Be th at as it may, ho w-i ever, •we i c6ufce'nli iS flint';wlieh' we hear of a single largo vessel being on its way frpm Boston to New Zealand "with an immense cargo of Arc erican lumber," it is high time that the duty ivere rennjp^osed. •■' : ' ;; 'pEyoNMiiiii./.i^ ..| :^ On"fhe ; dthers ; ide4)f Haldombe, about ,a quarter of a mile from the railway line, .we come to one of the older eatablisherl mills, the Devon, the property ,o£ Mr. Lash. This mill Jias been m opeMaon upwards of two years, during which time; ft' has done very good work-. An iron; tramway 18 chains m lensrf h, extends from the railway line to the mill, which is situate just outside the township, The main building, exclusive of the engine house and repairing' shed, is 60 feet, by 40. 'The interior is ;fltted. r t(p with every "convenience. for. the: successful carrying on of the business. One of thenmproved travelling benches con-veys the logs to the vertical breaking down saw, and, past itj to the flitch mar skids. 'The flit chine, as well ns the ripping, Viench are breast benches filled with 4 ft. 6 m and three foot saws respectively. T!ie engine is a portable one of 16 horse-power, of Scotch make, arid works very smoothly. Mr. Lash's bnsh extends over an area of iipwniyls of 1300 acres, 800 ncres of which are frpehold. The timber is mixed, conoMinEf of rimn, mntai^ and white pine, in' fair proportion^. The- "bnnh is being worked -m different portions and, as might bo expected from its extensive area, we find that the total amount of wwien trnmway running to the different workings is very laree, bemgf upwards of t.'iroo miles. Along these trams, owing to the nntural confinruration of the country, several 1.-irge and expensive, bvidgos harebeen rendered necessary, and those liav© been constructed m a very fuSstantinl manner. At the time of our visit to the mill the ivinchnipvy was undergoing a thorough overhnnd, t.be nverage oiit-put howev^ is nbout 25.000 feet per week. There are 15 men einpliivecl. and as they all resides m the towns!up close by, thcro i? no' necesr-ity for workmen's cottnges. The cost of the lo,nd has been, £3,300. Were the dUjty o^

foreign timber re-imposed, the magnificent white pine pirtioris of the bush, which are now only m the way, and offer obstacles to the economic working of tha mill, could be utilised so as to return a small margin of profit, and at the same time afford employment to additional hands. : : ?;:■;