The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 22, 1920. THE OHUTU MILL TROUBLE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3659, 22 December 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 22, 1920. THE OHUTU MILL TROUBLE.

With which ia incorporated "The Taihape Post and Wainrarino News "

That Conciliation Commissioner H.aUey came to Taihape last night, en route to confer with the Box Mill employee leaders to-day, will cause widespread satisfaction. With' what knowledge, or information the men may have had of the timber industry as it affects New Zealand, or rather all Australasia, they could be blamed for nothing more in ' the action they took than its surprising suddenness. TEey wiir probably learn to-day, beyond doubt or cavil, that the timber industry is a very uncertain Quantity. A few years ago it was about the poorest paying business any man could find to launch upon, and wages weire proportionate with profits. Protective tariffs improved conditions for sawmillers and workers, but, of couirse timber for all purposes became dearer. Then the war came, and with it came an Australasian timber shortage hitherto unprecedented; supplies .from foreign chiefly from America —ceased, and an abnormal demand arose for timber, for all purposes, from New Zealand. The demand became so great, so persistent ana pressing that -timber Rrices rapidly went up beyv>nd all anticipations, not as some people suppose, by sawmiKers arbitrarily increasing their tariffs, but ' because offers of higher prices than those ruling came flooding in upv.ii them. There arose a competition amongst users for the altogether inadequate supplies, and thus it was that sawmillers were able to mill much timber from country that was hitherto considered inaccessible for sawmilling purposes. Easy timber country, of course, returned large profits, upon which men who wanted high wages, and those who wanted cheap timber, seized to base 'their claims and demands; but there was the timber from the difficult country, and very few people are aware of the almost impossible nature of some of the country millers have rescued timber from. (Nobody deniejs that sawmilling hag been more profitable and since the war than it ever was before, or is ever likely to be again, but it has been much less profitable averagely than many people think. Again, we repeat that a few millers who we/re fortunate enough to have indisputable cutting rights over a considerable area of easily accessible land near to a railway Have, by such good fortune, made a considerable amount of money;' it is, however, the majority who have not enjoyed such good fortune and, sequentially, have done little more than earn a good wage and get a reasonable return for capital invested. Now that, the timber flood-gates of the world have again been thrown open, and timber (is seen floating to where there is timber scarcity from almost every point of the timbe/r compass, one hesitates to figure out just what- is going to happen to one of this Dominioni's most important and valuable industries. Enjoyment of good marj kets By sawmillers has been shortlived, altogether too short in the best interests of workers and employers. ..The industry must not be allowed to languish, and no doubt Government will be importuned to i place a duty upon cheap foreign ' timber that will enable a fair wage being paid to timber workers. There seems to be no way of saving much of the timber country oveir which ' milling difficulties are more than averagely great, therefore, less timber will be produced and there will be the inevitable reduction of sawmill employees as a consequence. The subject is not being touched upon from a national viewpoint, but no interested person will fail to see that aspect of it, The facfl that New Zealand is to become a timber importer instead of a timber exporter speaks volumes to the men who have,a spark of patriotism in them for it clearly indicates that the country will lose heavily on both sides of the ledger. We have realised th'at, with*" fflmberf-laden | ships teeming into Australia from Baltic and American timber ports, great caution in piloting the New Zealand industry is essential and imperative. There is the certain loss of foreign competition fqr the product of this Dominion's mills at anything approaching the prices now prevailing, and the probability is that it will be found utterly out of the question, with our high costs of production, to compete with American and Baltic timber in the future. This is not a

picture of what might possibly bo; it is a frank statement of what certainly will be, and already is to an initiatory extent. Further,' the American timber is reaching Australia; 1 to-day at a much lower-price tnan j [New Zealand mills can produce !og3, i and shipments of that timber taayj reach our shores to-morrow. When' we stated that "devilish cduuaeJs had prevailed" at the Ohutu Box Mill we had all the facts aoove stated before us, and assuming that the Box Company, and .sawmi'.lera Generally would be possessed or" the current trend of timber va'teea, we knew that in addition to the strike troubijb threatening tha Milling Company were faced on the other side with their ' industry being threatened and likely to be forced into a parlous and unprofitanle pen-' tion. Without doubt both; workmen and employers a;t Ohutu will heartily welcome the offered services which Mr Halley, the Conciliation Commissioner is especially equipped by nature training and authority, to render. The men weire as much surprised at the abrupt refusal to concede their demands as the employers were at learning that a strike had been so abruptly precipitated., At present honours are even, and it is anxiously, earnestly hoped throughout this district that the conciliatory ef-. forts: of Mr Halley, so opportunely offered, may result in one of the most important industries' in this neighbourhood being immediately resumed. If the workers are of opinion that machinery (requires renewing, the menace to the sawmilling industry we have mentioned should be sufficient explanation of the Company's caution. If workers will take notice they will come to realise that sawinfilers throughout the whole Dominica are now conducting, opeirantlo.ij with a caution that cannot fail to be noticeable, for they, perhaps alone, know that they have yet to recoup themselves for outlay made in the recent past, if possible, before foreign timber renders that impraci Icable.