OREGON PINE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 194, 6 August 1908, Page 2

OREGON PINE.

THE SAWMILLEKS' CuuEVAN'Ui'. (Special to "Nwws"). Wellington, Last Night. Some new light was thrown on the importation of Oregon pine by the I'ruue .Minister to-day. .Mr. T. Y. Scdiloa has asked whether it was true that Uie steamer Den of itutlivcn, wlikii lias been unloading Oregon pine at Lytteltou, was subsidised by the Government; whether any of tlia snipmcuts already landed or about to bo landed had been assisted in the same way. The Den of Kuthven, said Sir Joseph Ward in reply, is one of Uio steamers of the Alley Line, which is subsidised by the Government, and there is, of course, no restriction upon the cargo the company brings to our shores. Beyond the subsidy referred to, no assistance is given in the matter of freights, the rates varying from 25s to 32s 6d per lOOOft, according to the port of shipment and port of destination. All the timlwr that has come forward is Sawn and undressed, and a duty of 2s per 100 superficial feet has b«en paid thereon.

.Mr. Seddon, referring to the matter, said that the information given was valuable. It showed that the lowj freights from the American ports were made possible by a Government subsidy. He suggested that any agreement for a steamship service between New Zealand and Canada should provide against foreign timber being brought to the Dominion in subsidised boats. The ell'ect of the existing arrangement was to discount the value of the duty, as far as the New Zealand Sawu'iillera were concerned. TIMBER OPERATIVES' UIvSOLITJON Duncdiii, List Xighl. The Otago Sawmillers' Union of Operatives passed a resolution requesting the Government to increase the duty on all foreign and Australian timber to 5s per 100 ft for all sizes than 12 by three; to have thu present duty on :ill above that size; also that the Government be asKed to impose an export duty of 4s per 100 ft on all kauri exported.