The Diggers’ Sawmilling Company.

Progress, Volume XV, Issue 8, 1 April 1920, Page 769

The Diggers’ Sawmilling Company.

The Hons. Sir William Fraser, D. 11. Guthrie, and J. G. Coates were present at a meeting of the Ministerial Repatriation • Board held lately. 'A great deal of business was transacted; including: the .pass-* ing of 137 loans ' to returned soldiers, * • totalling £33,000. • :. : -• • ; ; ;. - * One outstanding case which . received a kindly hearing was a proposal from, a-,dozen men to form a Diggers’ Sawmilling Company to operate on the .West, Coast. ,It was decided to grant each’of the men a loan of £3OO, and to arrange with the Forestry Department for the issue of a license to the company to cut timber over 630 acres of land about five miles from Hokitika. This block, which contains from 9 to 12 million feet of ■ good white pine timber, has been eagerly sought by other millers, but the returned soldiers have been given the preference. The necessary plant 1 will cost the company £4OOO. An interesting fact in connection with the Diggers’ Company is that the men all, belong to Hokitika, and have known each other from boyhood upwards. The proposition is one, which had the hearty recommendation of the Hokitika Repatriation Committee. . .•!.*'

Statement of Output of Ordinary Building and White Pine Timber produced by the Rangii tikei Timber Co., Ltd. (Taihape), for six years . ended January, 1920, showing quantity exported.

i-Year . Total • Ordinary White ShipPeriod. Output. Timbers. Pine. ments. July ’14 17,482,986 16,294,986 1,188,000 923,000 Jan. ’15 11,024,826 9,834,226 1,190,600 761,000 July ’15 13,918,524 12,728,524 1,190,000 344,200 Jan. ’16 15,017,427 13,500,520 1,516,907 1,095,400 July ’16 13,899,702 11,928,902 1,970,800 • 109,800 Jan. ’17 12,712,153 10,165,186 2,546,967 480,500 July ’17 13,316,962 11,034,162 2,282,800 531,762 Jan. '18 14,341,128 11,681,328 2,659,800 611,542 July ’18 12,211,378 10,278,578 1,932,800 433,608 Jan. '19 12,840,855 10,252,155 2,588,700 332,948 July’19 . 14,989,339 •12,203,076 2,786,263 621,776 Jan. ’20 20,123,907 .16,476,965 3,646,942 1,986,408 .171,879,187 146,378,608 25,500,579 8,231,944 Summary of Shipments; — White Pine 5,901,911 .... 5,901,911 Rimu 1,781,313 .... 1,781,313 Matai 548,720 > • 8,231,944. 8,231,944.