The Daily News TUESDAY OCTOBER 12. THE TIMER COMMISSION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 211, 12 October 1909, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY OCTOBER 12. THE TIMER COMMISSION.

'The summarised report of the Timber Commission, which we published on Saturday last, has met with a mixed reception, and, curiously enough, most o[ the critics confine their remarks to assuring their auditors and readers that the result is only what they predicted before the Commission was appointed. It is easy to be wise after the event, ami we venture to say that had t'iij trade depression under which the industry was languishing at the time the Commission was set up not happily lifted in the meantime, criticism would have been of a different color. That by the way. however; the enquiry was in-

I stituted for tile specific purpose of detiding why it was that unemployment was so rife in the industry, and why the business could not he profitably conducted. The almost universal cry of the millers and workers was that the competition of Oregon pine was killing | the local trade, and a restrictive tarll ! was demanded as the only means wherej by a revival of sawniilling could bo brought about. After hearing the oviilence of 154 witnesses —sawniillers workers, architects, builders, and others —the Commission has come to the conclusion that the eil'ect of the importation of Oregon pine on the timber-build-ing industries has been of a 'bcnelicnil character, and in the interests of the public in meeting the requirements of the building trade. At the saute time, the report expresses little doubt but that this importation helped to intensify the recent depression, particularly m certain localities. The Commission has recommended a scale of import duties on Oregon, that, while securing to tile public building timber at a reasonable cost, may operate in the direction of aim assisting milling interests. On >mall timber (12 by 2 inches) a duty of Us per 100 superficial feet is propose.!, representing! an increase of 50 percent,*. lon lengths of 25 feet or under, a duly of 2s as at present; on 25 to 35 feet lengths, duty at the rate of Is per 100 superficial feet, representing a reduction of 50 .per cent, on the existing tariff, while on lengths above 35 feet tlic Commission recommend that the duty he abolished altogether. On the whoi°, therefore, it should he faivlv apparent that the Commission did not view ivith serious misgiving the competition of Ore. gon pine with the local article. In oui opinion, the Commission rightly guageil the predominant actuating causes of the recent slump to (1) general trade depression ami local financial stringency and (21 over-production which was en couragcd by an exceptional demand foi timber which suddenly ceased, causin n a glut led market. Apparently those o 'i gaged in tJie industry completely lo=t (heir "head?" and indulged in a mild "" form of "panic" (hat had nolhing ti warrant it. find similar loss of initia tive and resource lien exhibited b> oilier industries that undoubtedly als( felt the pinch of t| IP ] a ( o depression the Dominion might have had reason I. remember (he financial stringeiicv o: ;00S-fl. Heading between the lines, it it quite apparent that the Commission i, lof opinion that file iiulusfrv, as a whole and lo use a vulgarism, "funked," Tie. important portion of (he report is that which suggests means to be adopted t improve the industry. Irrespective i the proposed alterations of duly on im ported timber, of greater use being made by the Covernment of Xcw Zealand tim bers (with both of which we agree), \v, fittaeh greatest importance to the re commendation with regard to afforestation. and to the encouragement of wood pulping and allied by-product industries, A wide extension of Covernment treeplanting on waste Crown lands, b\ prison labor or otherwise, would he ttlKiut the wisest provision that could ho made for future State endowment. The time is fast approaching when t-imbci will have a value _far in excess of that nttached to it to-day, apart- altogetiici from tlie losses that would be inflicted on the country through changed climatic conditions following on the more or less complete deforestation that threaten. It is the misfortune of Now Zealand that the land hunger, combined with the comparatively limited area available fo; a settlement, results in the destruction ami complete commercial loss of thous- . ands of pounds worth of valuable forest timbers. This loss, however, it devolves _ upon the State to make good, as far .is | is reasonably practicable, and we thereI fore support the recommendation of the | Commission that the allocation of i.C25,000 per annum be made to the State Foreslv Department for afforest:!, lion purposes. The saw-milling industry may safely lie left to look after itself, and if it does not adopt up-to-date ami more economical methods of production, as have to lie adopted -by other industries that iiave to compete with foreign producers, it deserve- n.i special consideralmii at the hands of the State or tile public. We consider the recommendations of the Commission wortliv of the earnest consideration of the (i'i\ernment and those whose interests are ill the industry.

| A VAU'AIILK IXVHNTIOV. ■ The recent announcement Hint tlioii' liajnst been invented in the l'nit"d States nil appliance which will cunb'e (<» (lo I.', (>(■>• com. 111010 work in driving a steamship',' engines, ami Unit groat savings arc lo lie made in I n> const ruction of ihe engine anil Imilcrrooms of steamers. i n addition to wliic i a large ]iart of tlio space iimv required for coal is to lie set free for cargo, '.; fraught with possibilities 0 f a far-reach in# nature. Experts liave warned the ISritish ("Jovornment that tile supplies of fuel ia England are being nseil up at an extravagant rate. One of the causes I ol the rapidly increasing ennsumptio i; "f coal is the building nf liig warships anil huge merchant steamers, hot:, nf which vetjuive enormous quantities of coal to develop the steam required tn drive them through the water at the speed expected of the modern warship or the up-to-date ocean liner. William I'amsav. the eminent screntist. recently drew attention to the prohah'? alarming consequences of the everincreasing drain England is making on her coal supplies, iie admits that England still has a wonderful wealth "f coal deposits, but they are la 'injr con* surned so rapidly as to make the future position a serious matter. England is also prodigal in her. export of coal. -Many people have given ivftrnings about it from an economist's point of view pointing out that a nation wliicli export* 1 its coal is exporting its national capital. England raises out of her mims 250,(Kit),(Kill tons of coal every year, and of this she sends away to France. (,'erluan.v. Jtaly and other countries som■■ (10,0011,0110 tons. To the extent of this ■ quantity she is poorer every year in I her fuel capital. " Prodigious though ' 'the national -minesarc." sa.vs Sir Wil- ■ liain Kumsay, ''this is so serious aji drain on the eapilal that within a measurabliJfuture England may lie without i eitlicr fuel or luutive power. 1 ' Tf 1 coal can !«■ made lo do 1.) per cent. ' more work in the driving of steamships ' it follows that there will be a eorres- - ponding saving in (lie consumption 0 f 1 coal, and if this economy can be cll'ected ' in the ease of steamers, it is probable ' that a similar invention will lie applied ' to machinery used in the development 1 of steam in large foundries, factories I y ami other placed where at present coal is consumed in ever-increasing quaJili-1 " ties. It is true that to meet the ever-1 s growing demand new discoveries of coal I n are being constantly made in other " countries. The coal measures of Russia I " ami China are practically illimitable,

and therefore it may "lie said that be- j fore the resources of England can be j exhausted, fresh bituminous wealth ( awaits the enterprise of man-elsewhere. ( Mut this does not satisfy the scientist's doubt. It is not in one country, but in all, that the drain on nature's boun- 1 I ties goes on. The oil fields of Europe 1 are rapidly upcoming exhausted. And no one cay say exactly how the place ' of oil is to be'supplied. If we turn to the world's forest supplies, they, too, arc most distinctly on the diminishing grade. We are living a life of incredible prodigality as regards wood fuel, burning it to waste in millions of tons, and making no corresponding effort to replace what is lost. It was after taking note of all these tilings, and of the absence of any compensating discoveries', that Sir William Hnmsay asked his countrymen to pause and consider whither they are

tending. It is urged that a substitute for coal may yet lie found—the power of the tides, solar energy, or heat obtained from the interior of the earth, have all been suggested, but none o! these schemes have yet proved practicable. Electric power is' likely to be the chief energy of the future; but workable electric energy cannot be produced without a previous power to create it We have the electricity all about us; but wr have to manufacture our supI plies of electric cnergv, generally at :i

considerable cost in fuel, before that energy can be put into harness and mad • to do the work of an obedient drudge. For tlie present we arc dependent on steam to drive our steamships, and coal is practically the only fuel that can be used in developing steam. A* a contemporary points out. an invention that can make .steam produce 15 per cent, more energy is l therefore of vast importance to steamship owners, while the accompanying reduction in the cost of building steamers opens up still further possibiltios in the shipping trade.