Chance For Pacific Timbers

Australia's Softwoods Shortage Now Accentuated by War

A SITUATION which provides the Australian, New Guinea and Suva Governments with a unique oppor tunity to establish new Pacific industries exists in connection with Pacific Islands timber.

As everyone knows, there are great forests on practically all the innumer able mountainous islands of the South Pacific. There is much fine hardwood, a good deal of semi-hardwood, and a little softwood.

These timbers are mixed with a great deal of useless tropical rubbish. Only in a few cases are there islands of good timber which can be easily handled.

Most of it “takes finding”.

In recent years, as the forests of the temperate, settled countries have been cut out, timber-getting industries have been established in Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomons and New Guinea —especially the latter. The timber has been going, in logs, to Australia and America. Aus tralia maintains a jealous, heavy duty upon sawn timber.

The demand for timber, in Australia, in recent months, has become very urgent. There is a marked shortage of softwoods. Victoria has demanded the right to supply “softwood” to New South Wales. NSW retorts that it is not soft wood, but semi-hardwood from the Gippsland forests, recently ruined by fires, which Victoria is trying desperately to turn into money.

There is snarling and fighting beneath the calm surface of the industry.

Meanwhile, New Guinea interests have been seeking an amendment of the tariff, to allow New Guinea sawn tim ber to enter Australia. If that were done, the New Guinea timber industry would be soundly established; and sawn timber could be delivered, at moderate prices, direct to Australian consumers.

At present, they can send only logs—a costly and wasteful system.

But Australian timber interests, already monopolistic and well guarded

politically, scream in fury at the very suggestion of such an arrangement.

They insist that they shall mill and sell all the timber which is distributed in Australia.

NOW, however, war conditions have intervened. Australia is forbidden to import from non-sterling coun tries (North America) any redwood or red cedar; while Oregon and hemlock imports are reduced by more than half.

Already, inquiries and tests are being made to see what Australia can offer to replace the valuable imports now cut off. It is announced (“SMH” of Dec. 7) that “in some quarters it is believed that New Guinea can, supply timbers which have not previously been exploited.”

The Minister for Customs also stated; “A concession would be allowed on tim bers imported from New Guinea for the manufacture of boxes and doors. This decision had been taken to encourage timber production in New Guinea.”

This probably will be implemented by some license system which, it is pre sumed, will apply also to Papua.

There is something worth while wait ing for the man or men who can step in,, now, and organise a timber trade between Australia and New Guinea, Papua, Solomons, Fiji and New Cale donia. Australian timber-consumers, in a very short time, will be shouting fran tically for supplies; and the Australian timber rings, however they may try to protect their monopolies, cannot dam back this flood.

This is an opportune time to break down the opposition to the importation of sawn timber from Australia’s Pacific territories —timber which is produced by European labour, with Australian capi tal, under Australian conditions.

Attention should be given to freights.

It costs 13/6 per hundred to take logs from near Rabaul to Sydney, and only 33 dollars per thousand feet to carry logs from Vancouver to Sydney.