Production Planned in

Speeding-up of Timber Production Planned in

Nsw

Army's Three-quarter Million New Guinea Equipment Has Been Forgotten

THE NSW Minister for Conservation has high hopes that the large-scale introduction of mobile timber mills in his State will revolutionise the timber getting industry in Australia and pro vide sorely-tried citizens with more and cheaper houses. He stated recently that one of these mobile outfits, operating in one of the NSW State forests, had given good results.

It has been suggested, also, that simi lar equipment might be introduced with profit, to Papua-New Guinea.

It should be remembered, however, that less than two weeks before the Paci fic war ended (in August, 1945) the then Minister for the Army, Mr. Beasley, stated in Canberra, that the Army had in operation in New Guinea, or had on order for New Guinea, almost three quarters of a million pounds’ worth of milling machinery. The milling machin ery was standard, quickly assembled or dismantled, and designed for tropical conditions and was estimated to yield a 25 per cent, greater output than normal.

After the war it was confidently believed that these portable mills would be of great benefit to New Guinea, and, par ticularly, to mainland Australia.

That was 18 months ago. Now some other politician has produced revolution ary milling machinery. What has hap pened to Mr. Beasley’s three-quarter million remains one of the mysteries of Commonwealth Disposals. Certainly New Guinea has not benefited from it; nor

Tne long-suffering taxpayer has a pathetically short memory. He has for gotten that the Army used £650,000 of bls money to buy portable mills; and is therefore disposed to welcome the new m 9 bn ® contraption which might con ceiVably speed up the business of his getting a house.