Kauri running out

A logger nicknamed "Joe the Māori" climbs a doomed kauri tree. — Otago Witness, 13.1.1925
A logger nicknamed "Joe the Māori" climbs a doomed kauri tree. — Otago Witness, 13.1.1925
Timber production in the Auckland province has reached its zenith. While the district will maintain its dominant position for the timber output in New Zealand for another 10 years, the trend of industry is definitely toward a second place in favour of Westland, which has a record milling production last year of 65,000,000 superficial feet. The consumption of timber in Greater Auckland has reached immense proportions in recent years because of the remarkable extent of building construction. It is estimated that the annual consumption of sawn timber in and about the city is now between 60,000,000ft and 70,000,000ft. A considerable proportion of the total is imported timber consisting principally of Oregon, cedar, jarrah and ironbark. An interesting feature of the trade in imported timber is the manufacture of doors for the dominion building trade. Some years ago tens of thousands of standard doors were imported, Canada supplying the greatest number. Recently a notable change has been effected in that Auckland timber mills now manufacture doors for the building trade on an extensive scale. One firm alone is turning out no fewer than 12,000 doors in imported Oregon and cedar a year, and is finding a ready market for them throughout the dominion. The forests of the Auckland province still yield some 20,000,000 superficial feet of sawn kauri a year. The bulk of the output is used in New Zealand. There is not a great deal exported, one merchant estimating that this year shipments overseas will aggregate less than 2,000,000 superficial feet. "The export trade in kauri," he said, "is not worth troubling about now. There is a keen demand for it in New Zealand, and the surplus for export is comparatively small." Kauri forests outside Crown areas are being depleted rapidly. It is estimated that at the existing rate of milling commercial kauri forests will all be cut out in a decade. The province has had a wonderful yield of this splendid timber, although the prodigal waste of it in the early years of the settlement has to be deplored.

Power touted door to door

In the course of a conversation with a Daily Times reporter yesterday Mr A.P. Aldridge, engineer for the Otago Electric Power Board, said that every householder in the districts between Henley and Kaka Point in the south and Waitati and Dunback in the north would be waited upon by representatives of the board for the purpose of ascertaining their particular requirements for electric supply. The scheme covered the wiring of premises by the board and the sub-contractors, the work being let as a result of open tenders. It also covered the supply of appliances purchased by the board and retailed at prices which would enable it to compete with those ruling in Dunedin. By this means the consumer would have the advantage of technical advice from the board’s representative. It also had the additional advantage to the consumer that by dealing with his own concern of which he was nominally a shareholder, any profits accruing from the administration would be ultimately to his own benefit. By this means the board hoped to keep in personal touch with its consumers, to the advantage of all concerned. It was expected that canvassers would make a start on this work within the next few days. It was hoped by these means to secure a reasonable revenue from each district as power became available. Intending consumers need have no anxiety regarding the non-completion of their installations before the supply was available, as it was the intention of the board to keep ahead of its supply. It was unfortunate that owing to the shipping strike in Australia the arrival of poles for the completion of transmission lines had been delayed, but the board was making arrangements for the speeding up of its reticulation work as soon as a supply became available. The board was preparing a circular for distribution throughout the districts giving full details as to the charges for power and its policy with regard to wiring. The board intended to establish showrooms in the more closely-settled centres of the district, when demonstrations of various electric appliances would be given. — ODT, 22.1.1925

Compile by Peter Dowden