A Timber Trade Conference.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 150, 9 January 1902, Page 3

A Timber Trade Conference.

A conference of delegates from the New *Soath Wales Timber Industrial Association was recently held in Sydney. The Department of Works was represented. Among the recommendations arrived at, for presentation to the department, were the following:—l. That there should be only one inspection of timber, either at Sydney or a railway station or wharf. 2. All timbers supplied by contractors to the Public Works Department should be subject to this one inspection only. 8. It was urged that the final inspection should take place at the nearest port to the place of supply. This course was adopted in connection with the New Zealand Government contracts and worked satisfactorily. 4. It was urged that instead of having a number of branches in connection with the Works Department dealing with timber supplies, a separate branch might be formed in connection with the department which would deal with the supply, classification, tendering and passing of all timbers. 5. That in all future contracts consideration be given more to the quality of timber than its freedom from casual flaws. 6. In consequence of the Postal Department specially requiring ironbark for telegraph poles, immense injury was done to the ironbark forest. It was urged that ironbark saplings were the most useless, as the ironbark in its immature state was not equal to the other hard woods. The deputation urged the Works Department to submit ■ such representations to the Minister on this question as would enable him to bring the matter before the federal authorities, and thus stop the pernicious practice of tendering for ironbark exclusively for telegraph poles.