THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, AUGUST 21, 1911. TIMBER FROM JAPAN.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 1039, 21 August 1911, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, AUGUST 21, 1911. TIMBER FROM JAPAN.

The time may yet come when New Zealand, like Australia, will be Oh--porting timber from Japan. During the last few years the enterprising Japanese have been building up an export (timber trade of considerable dimenisionis, and they have ifound in Australia a ready market for fairly substantial shipments. In 1909 the CJommoriwealth received, .from Japan nearly iseven million superficial feet of timber, valued at £28,723, and the importations are increasing. A : few day® ago a Japanese vessel ar-, .rived at Sydney with 2,500,000 ft of hewn and sawn timber, comprising pine, oak, and ash. The timber industry of Japan flourishes in, the northern, island of Yezo, which is covered with dense forests. The main island of Japan has been almost denuded of timber, but planting is being pursued vigorously, and Yezo will provide all the timber that is required' 'Unitil the new plantations reach their full development. The work of felling trees is carried on in the winter, and while the snow is on the ground huge logs from the forests are conveyed to the coast by sledges or floated down, the rivers. .Great rafts of timber are built, and are towed to the open .ports to be picked up by ocean steamers. The timber is distributed to Europe, America, the China Coast, and Australia, and it has been 'started that considerable quantities of Japanese oak and ash are imported every year by the Unit--led States and sent abroad as the product of American forests. While the foreign trade is extensive, there is a very strong demand for timber j in Japan and Korea, where the majority of the buildings are of wood. i Lai-ge quantities of timber are required also for making furniture and for the manufacture of matches, 'which is one of the most important industries in Japan. At present the Japanese timber, industry lis competing on favourable terms with similar enteVprises in other countries. Labour is very cheap, and employers seldom have any trouble with their workers, who are said ito be efficient and willing.