WHITE PINE

Southland Times, Issue 18840, 5 June 1920, Page 5

WHITE PINE

RESTRICTION OF EXPORT. STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, June 4. The Hon. Sir Francis Bell, Commissioner of State Forests, has forwarded the following reply to representations made by dairy factory delegates and managers regarding the necessity of prohibiting the export of white pine. The letter points out that it has not been found practicable to entirely prohibit the export of white pine owing to the following facts:— (1) That a large amount of timber has been cut on land which had to be cleared in connection with the greatly increased settlement that has taken place in the last few years in districts where there was a comparatively small or no demand for timber, which would therefore have been wasted had it not been exported. (21 That a large proportion of the timber produced from white pine log is of inferior quality, for which in New Zealand there is. only a small demand, while in Australia there is a keen demand for it.

(3) That there has been a shortage of coastwise shipping from West Coast ports to northern ports, thus preventing locai use of much timber produced. It is pointed out that though the export of white pine has not been entirely prohibitied it has, under the Board of Trade regulations, been limited to a maximum of 40 per cent of the total production and in addition in most eases where licenses to cut or sell standing timber on public or private lands arc issued under retaliations made under the authority of section 34 of the war legislation and Statute Law Amendment Act, 1913, there is now imposed a condition that none of the timber cut may be exported.