GOLI

Taranaki Daily News, 3 April 1922, Page 8

GOLI

NEW PLYMOUTH Oi-UL. OPENING OF SEASON. The golf season opened on .Saturday at Waiwakaiho in perfect weather. Mixed foursomes were played with 54 competitors over 15 holes for prizes presented by the captain (Mr. W. C. Weston). The best scores were: Mrs. C. H. Weston and W. Weston, total 75, handicap 17, score 58. Miss Conroy and A. S. Hasell 54 20—64. Miss Home and J. S. Wilson 92 —25 67. Mrs. Birch-Johnston and Darcy Robertson 87 —19 —68. Mrs. McQuade and S. Burgess 89—20 —69. Mrs. Hill and J. Crocker 90—21—’69. Miss Gavin and R. T. McQuade 81— 11—70. Mrs. M. Gray and J. Austin 89—18 i —70%. Miss E. Gilbert and D. Mackaj r 85— 13—72. Mrs. Perry and Denny Brown 102— 25—77. Miss Peach and J. Stevenson 103—25 —7B. Miss Gibson and H. Grayling 104 — 25—79. Miss Greatbach and A. Andrews 109— 25—84. Mr. and Mrs. T. G. Thomson 10(1—121 —B5. Miss Morton and G. A. Lee 110—25 —B5. Mr. and Mrs. Waterson 111—-25 —86. Miss Campbell and J. Hutchins 114 — 25—89. Mrs. Scanlan and C. H. Wynyard 121 —25—96. AN AMAZING SHOT. TO KIRKWOOD’S CREDIT. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received April 2, 5.5 p.m. New York, April 1. At Pinehurst, Kirkwood amazed the gallery in the first round of the North v. South tournament with a miraculous short first hole drive. He landed in the trees off the fairway, and the bail was so placed that it was impossible to take a right-handed swing. Kirkwood took the mashie in his left hand and, using the back of the blade, drove 180 yards. Later Hagen duplicated the feat. Kirkwood’s card is 75. Hutchison is leading with 70. Rain cancelled the second round.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. APPEAL FOR FUNDS. TO SEND TEAM TO AMERICA. Received April 2, 5.5 p.m. London. April 1. The Royal and Ancient Golf Association is appealing to the golf clubs for funds with which to send a representative amateur team to America to play an international match. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. TIMBER PRICES. SAWMILLERS DECIDE UPON REDUCTION. RAPID DEPLETION OF FORESTS. “One outstanding impression received as a result of my six-weeks’ visit to the mills along the Main Trunk and Rotorua lines was the scarcity of milling timbers,” said Mr. Arthur Seed, secretary of the Sawmillers’ Federation for New Zealand, in the course of an interview with a Dominion reporter. The timber along the Main Trunk line has been cut out at a very much greater rate than even many of those in the industry realise, and a very few years will see the majority of the mills in this district cut out.” Questioned as to the conditions of the timber industry generally. Mr. Seed said he had found trade conditions very bad. Quite a number of the mills had been unable to open up since Christmas owing to lack of orders. Most of the mills had accumulated stocks —the majority of them to a point beyond their capacity to finance. This should mean that plenty of dry timber would be available through the winter, but meantime it would necessitate most of the mills working short time or short handed.

REDUCTION DECIDED UPON. Mr. Seed explained that a meeting of sawmillers, which he had attended, was held at Ohakune on Friday ?ast, when it was decided to reduce the prices of building heart, rough heart, ordinary building scantlings, secondclass scantlings, and sarking by 2s per 100 feet. The sawmillers realised that it was the duty of everyone at the present time to make sacrifices and to do everything possible to reach more normal conditions. They, however, realised that no appreciable reduction in the costs, of production had yet taken place to warrant the reduction decided upon; in fact, the trend of costs due to the reduced sales and outputs and increasing values fully warranted an increase in prices at the moment. Ways and means to reduce the production costs to meet the decrease in prices were left to the individual miller to work out for himself, while the employers would be asked to bear their share by a reduction in wages. ENCOURAGING BUILDING. - Having in view the widespread shortage of cottages, the sawmillers’ committee made an endeavor to reduce those lines or grades of timber required in the erection of workers’ homes, and to give a practical lead to the builders and carpenters who had- recently been discussing ways and means by reducing the cost of cottage building. “The general impression prevails amongst the public,” proceeded Mr. Seed, “that if the sawmillers were to reduce the price of timber they would , be able to sell more and carry on, but . it has to be remembered that all tim- , ber now in stock has been produced at ' high wages. An article in The Dominion on Wednesday morning quoted the price I of building timber at 38s per 100 feet i ex yard. It was not stated, however, | what of timber was referred tt>. ' The .price of scantling timber (which j forms the greatest proportion of timber | used in a dwelling) ex yard, is 31s 6.1. ] but the price ex truck from the saw- ’ millers is now 16s 6<i. It can. therefore, ! ’be seen that the country sawmilleu I cannot be blamed for the high cost of .building timber, and the reduction of |

;2s recently announced (bringing the price to 16s 6d) is considered by tne sawmillers to be the utmost amount by j which prices can be reduced.” ■ The Waikato price lists had been adI justed to bring them into line with the Main Trunk lists. All the reductions took place as from March 25, and would apply to delivery to all places on the railway line between Auckland, Wellington, New Plymouth, and Napier. Fencing battens had also been reduced, by 5s and 4s 6d, which was expected to encourage farmers to commence longdelayed repair work to fences. A TIMBER FAMINE. “There has been much talk regarding a timber famine in the near future.” continued Mr. Seed, “and many • people have scoffed at such a thing, but !as a result of my visit 1 am firmly I convinced that most of the accessible , timber will have been exhausted in a very few years. As a result, sawmillI ers will be forced to seek their supi plies in sparsely-timbered and rough country, which will spell greatly inl creased costs of woxking, and in con- ' sequence it will be futile to expect timj her to remain at even their present 1 level.”