N.Z.’S TIMBER TRADE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 915, 7 March 1930, Page 11

N.Z.’S TIMBER TRADE

IMPROVEMENT SHOWN LAST YEAR MINISTER’S REPORT Press Association WELLINGTON, Thursday. The Tact that there was a slight improvement in the timber trade last year, as compared with 1925, was stated today by the Hon. W. B. Taverner, Commissioner of State Forests. “The preliminary customs returns now available for 1929,” said the Minister, “show a slight improvement in the Dominion’s foreign timber trade as compared with the previous year. The total imports and exports for the two periods are as follow: —Imports, 1928, 60,516,000 feet (£738.850): 1929, 63,001,000 feet (£769,410). Exports: 1925. 35,029,000 feet (£377,480); 1929, 39,103,000 feet (£439,340). “Although the imports increased in quantity by 2,500,000 feet, and in value by £30,000, the exports increased by over 4,000,000 feet, and in value by over £ 60,000, so that the timber trade balance of 25,487.000 l'eet (£361,370), existing against New Zealand during 1928, decreased to 23,893,000 feet (£330,070) during 1929. “It is hoped that this position will still further improve during 1930. Recent changes in the Australian tariff are definitely in favour of New Zealand timbers, as compared with Scandinavian and North American woods “Approximately 40 per cent, of the total imports are of hardwoods, whereas of the exports only 8 per cent, are hardwoods. During recent years the increased purchases of silver pine telegraph poles, etc., have assisted to reduce the imports of constructional timbers from 23,750,000 feet in 1928 to 22,333,333 feet .in 1929, while the total importations of hardwoods decreased in quantity by 1,333,333 feet. “The total importations of softwoods increased by almost 4,000,000 feet, the greater part of which was accounted for by increased importations of Californian redwood, over' 2,000,000 feet, and spruce butter boxes, over 1,000,000 feet. Of the total softwood inmportations of almost 40,000,000, over 29,000,000 feet are consumed by the building and constructional industries in direct competition with the native timbers. “As the consumption of local woods is now only 270,000,000 feet, and the cutting capacity of the New Zealand mills almost twice that figure, the quantities imported are sufficient to somewhat embarrass the trade.”