WASTE OF TIMBER.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5325, 22 April 1878, Page 3

WASTE OF TIMBER.

TO THE EDITOR OB' THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES Sib, — Am yon have from time to time brought under the notice of your readers the very large quantities of valuable timber which are continually wasted or destroyed by fire in this colony, and particularly in this island, allow me to offer a few remarks as to the causes which lead to a great deal of this destruction. I will assume, for instance, that a contract is taken for say 50,000 sleepers, which is equal to about 1,000,000 feet of timber, which must be all of the very best heart of totara, without flaw or blemish. Now, in order to procure this quantity by splitting, it will require at least 4,000,000 feet of standing timber. Now, the reason of so much waste is just this, that the authorities are too particular about the look of the timber supplied, however serviceable it may otherwise be, and the bushmen or sleeper splitters, who, as a rule, are men of many years’ experience, have often many sleepers rejected upon which they have expended much time and labor. They are therefore very careful not to work up any timber liable to be condemned; and after having felled many fine looking trees, leave them to rot or to burn; and a great many ore

only partially wrought up on account, perhaps, of some very slight flaws, which might endanger the passing of the work dene. If the Public Works Department will insist upon having sleepers so exactly to the mark they ought to have them sawn; but as it is allowed that split sleepers of one-half the size of sawn ones are stronger and more durable than fullsized sawn ones, it would be just as well to take split sleepers of less dimensions. It appears to me quite evident that if there is not some modification in this line, there will soon be hardly enough heart of totara. in the country to finish the public works contracts. There have been an unusually large number of good sleepers condemned in the Manawatu District lately, as much as 80 per ceut. Now, this is little short of ruin to the poor men who have been producing the article, for they are only paid for the number passed. All condemned sleepers are supposed to be destroyed or rendered useless by having a hole bored in the middle, or by being chopped through with an axe, so that the present system is both destructive and ruinous to all concerned. Many of the sleepers now rejected are quite equal to, or better, than the general run hitherto supplied and accepted. The Public Works Department would do well to make strict inquiry, as what has been done lately will go far to raise the price at which sleepers can be supplied in future. It is a remarkable feature in the action lately taken here in reference to the matter that no charred timber will be taken, while hitherto all Government specifications required that all timber put into the ground should be charred, and all the posts along the riutt line are charred ; yet there are thousands of fine sleepers to be seen lying beside the line thrown out for no other fault than that a few spots of char show through the squaring. In fact, the whole affair is unaccountable, and surprises all who have had anything to do with the timber trade ever since this district opened. Hoping that the importance of this subject will be apology enough for the length of my letter.—l am, &c., Manawatu.

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