Progress of Woodcrafts Ltd.

Samoan Industry

progress is being made in the organisation of a new industry in Samoa namely, Island Woodcrafts Limited which is using indigenous woods for the manufacture of very beau tiful wooden articles much in demand by tourists, especially salad bowls and servers, breakfast sets, buffet sets for luncheon and supper, coffee trays, tea trays, decorative bowls and vases. The designs employed, while quite modern retain an attractive suggestion of their Islands origin.

For over 100 years white men in Samoa built boats, houses, and vehicles, but al ways of timbers imported from California, New Zealand or Australia. Isolated attempts were made in a half-hearted fashion to make us© of Samoan timbers; and indeed a few sample logs were ex ported, but the experiments were unsuc cessful.

It was not until about eight years ago that any serious attempt was made to try out indigenous timbers in Upolu. It was obvious at the outset that the proposition was not one that a sawmiller might suc cessfully tacjde. There are no aggrega tions of timber where a mill could be profitably operated: and the terrain is such that log-hauling cannot be even thought of. There are no rivers or streams large enough to float logs to a mill in payable numbers.

There remained only ornamental woods which might b© profitably handled in small quantities. Among them are the Tulipwood and Wild Almond, of India, together with some really unique and beautiful indigenous woods. It was when attempting to season the latter that a real problem was encountered.

One small group, the saps of which contain alkaloids and oil of wintergreen. can, when sawn green, be seasoned by the common method of racking. The greater number, however, cannot be so treated as they yield sawn stock which

becomes putrescent in from 12 to 36 hours after leaving the saw.

Putrescence is due to violent ferments -—most likely from fruit-fly infection— which decomposes the cellulose of the timber.

It became quickly evident that stock which emitted offensive odours when dry ing could not resist dry rot, o.r other fungoid attacks. It was also observed that elasticity was lost, and with it most of the character and colour of the timber.

It was believed that many Islands woods were valuable enough to spend money and time upon; and research work was com menced. It took six years of careful work before the results justified the experi menter in saying that these unstaple saps could be neutralised upon a commercial basis, and that fine ornamental woods, previously useless, could be offered with

full assurance of their resistance to attacks by fungoid diseases and white ants.

During the years while experimental batches of seasoning were being observed, furniture and other articles were being manufactured. By the time the seasoning methods were approved there existed an overseas market for many lines in Islands woods.

The venture was then incorporated under the name of Island Woodcrafts Limited. A suction gas power plant and suitable mill saw are being erected, and a factory building will follow as soon as timber can be sawn for its erection.

Mr. A. L. Schultze, of Kavieng, New Guinea, sailed by the m.v. Rabaul for Europe early in October on a six months’ holiday.