A THREATENED NEW ZEALAND INDUSTRY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3056, 28 November 1908, Page 5

A THREATENED NEW ZEALAND INDUSTRY.

SAWMILLERS WAIT ON THE PREMIER. , LABOUR REPRESENTED ALSO. SOME POWERFUL ARGUMENTS > AGAINST OREGON PINE. A ROYAL COMMISSION PROMISED. By Telegraph Press Association. WELLINGTON, October 27. A large deputation of sawmillers, timber merchants and labour representatives waited on the Prime Minister to-day in regard to the serious condition of the timber industry. Mr D. McLaren, M.P., said many workers from Taihape were present. Between 400 and 500 men in that district were out of work through the closing of mills. An attempt had been made to combat the importation of Oregon pine by the imposition of a duty, but care should be taken in this matter as the high price of timber in the cities was a serious thing for the working classes. Mr M. J. Reardon said the position was a serious one. Mr Gardner, a Taihape miller said the importation of Oregon timber was taking the bread and butter out of the mouths nf their wives and children. Mr W. 11. Field, M.P., said if Oregon pine came to New Zealand as it threatened to the mills must close, hundreds would be thrown out of work, and the country would be at the mercy of a foreign monopoly. Mills were now closing down all over the country. Mr A. R Bailey said they wanted the Government to hang up the proposed Royal Commission. He also spoke of the seriousness of the position. The loss of wages now reached £1,500 per month. Mr W. A. Ellis, Waikato, said the mills in the northern district paid about £40,000 a year in railway freights. Mr P. Jensen, Hawke's Bay, said Ortgon pine came to New Zealand for 10s 5d net, out of that 7s lid went back to America. He asked that the duty on Oregon pine be increased to 4s per 100 feet, and the importation of battens, scantling, and ordinary boards be prohibited. Mr W. Butler, West Coast, Mr Hopkirkj timber merchant and Mr j I Cciradirie, Wairarapa, also spoke. The Prime Minister, in reply, s».id a Royal Commission was to be set up to inquire into the posi:'on without delay, when the stea • .ship service with Carada which ha.i been referred to was arranged. It was not contemplated that timber would form a portion of the trade between Canada and Niw Zealand by the service. New Ze.-lind's subsidy would expire next April. The Government was not prepared to subsidise any service to carry timber against the interests of 1 people working in this country. (Hear! hear!) The first thing was | to find out what was wrong and then ■to seek a remedy. If the timber | merchants had offered, as the millers had, to allow their works to be examined, he was not sure a Ruyal Commission would have been necessary if figures supplied that day : were correct. Somebody was making a profit of 45 per cent, on the 1 prices of timber as landed in Wel- , lington in the meantime. He would > do the only thing he could till Parliament met by endeavouring to give * reduced rates on the railways, and , he would look also into the question > of long distance rates. He would far i sooner help in every possible way the j 3 local timber industry than do any--1 thing to encourage any external f trade, but they had to bo very care- , ful about altering the duty. Perhaps s the assertions that had been made about"[the tightness of money had jj aggravated the position. He was n not in favour of starting State y sawmills, as there were now enough * mills to supply requirements. He * was fully impressed with the necess sity of dealing with this matter as s soon as possible, and having an s effective remedy devised.