TIMBER COMMISSION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 97, 21 May 1909, Page 2

TIMBER COMMISSION.

WELLINGTON SITTINGS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington. Last Night. The Timber Commission began its Wellington sittings this afternoon. This morning several local inilU and timber yards,' were inspected. Henry Brown, luglcwood, Tarnnaki, sent a sworn affidavit in which he stated that indirectly the admission of Oregon timber to Taranalfi had been prejudicial to the local timber industry, Clem. Knight, of the. Danneviikc Timber Workers' Union, said his unjon wished to have the duty on Oregon pine con-

sidernblj increased or the timber shut out altogether. The mills in his district had Buffered severely, and fifteen of them had shut down or were working on greatly reduced time. They had each employed 20 bands at 10s per day, paving an average of .GiUOO a month. Men who had been earning Cll per mouth, were now earning il ,'ls per month each, where tliey could get work on the Government roads at Piripjri.

To Mr. Field: It was recognised that the slackness was due to the stringency of th* money market, but Oregon did a great deal of harm. There were over :iOO men (mostly married) out of work. There general distress in his district d'fe \a the mills shutting down. To Mr, Barber: There were not many mills' working in the Dannevirke district, lie had never thought about the matter of one class of workers being penalised by paying more dearly for their houses ia co„sei|i.eiice of high-priced timber in order that another class of workers—timber workers—might l.enelit. The workers were always prepared to pay a fair thing. iMr. Ikiu'a,.: How do you know that Oregon timber lias mined" your trade?

Witness: Oregon has displaced rimii and matiii.

What do you base I hat opinion on ? I'pou 'what I have gathered from workers' and what I have gathered from the panel's.

To .Mr. Jennings: 1f,].,. present eondii lions continued sawmill hands must ' leave the Dannevirke district, as there • was untiling there for them to do. To Mr. Clarke: If importation of Ore. ' gon were stopped the mill* would re- ■ sunie working straight away. To .Mr. Arnold: lie could not say whe- ' (her importation of Oregon had tended : to keep down the price of timber here. Henry Smith, sawmill worker, of Eketahuna. said his mill was' only eniplovi ing two-thirds the usual number of hands owing to the shortness of orders i caused by Oregon importations. The workers ,li,| not think the slackness was due to the stringency of the money marKft. For twelve months past the trade, had fallen nil' considerably. Last month he u'uly earned C), and so' far this month he had had oulv eight days' work. The limlber industry was dying, principally owing to the competition of Oregon. To .Mr. Field: There were about a hundred men in his tlintru-t. and their position was gettina more terrible than lie liked lo think about. Hut for the present, slump in prices there -wao enough limber in his district to keep the industry »oiii2 for sonic years To Mr. Leyland: The average vearlv supply in Wellington was' about lift', million feet, so (hat the importation o'. l Oregon here was only o per cent, of the total. Mr. Leyland said nicrenants had informed him lliat of the Oregon sold 7.T per cent, went lo replace kauri, h.i Unit really Hie general market was „ot affected to (lie exle.it of j p,. r cent. If Oregon could he imnorled it would permit of the export of kauri, and for every tl spent in purchasing Ore«e,i thev would get C2 back for the ..sporlalion of kauri. , A witness said if he-were a wharf lab. j ■ orer he would feel inclined !o have a I lire near ~nnie of I he stacks of Oregon.