H.—24.

30

[W. H. BRENT.

72. What would you say as a practical business man, assuming you had an area covered with rimu timber which was not capable of being felled at a payable price and you wanted the land for farming?— Undoubtedly, I should burn it. 73. Do you think that would be the result with the whole of the privately owned land? — Absolutely no doubt at all. 74. What is to become of the sawmillers' capital put into this class of bush? —Absolutely lost. 75. What about the men employed in the mill?— They would have to find work elsewhere or emigrate. 76. Would you consider the loss to the railways heavy also?— Most decidedly. That is a very big factor. All the timber produced here is carried by our railways, and they make a good profit on it, and I understand some lines here pay chiefly on that account, such as the Orepuki line. All the other timber goes by vessels. 77. There is the further factor that the money goes out of the country? —Yes, that is another big factor. 78. How do you compare the cost of ordinary-building rimu and ordinary-building Oregon pine as landed, gay, in Dunedin? —I saw a quotation for ordinary Oregon landed in Dunedin of Bs., c.i.f., and there is 2s. duty and 6d. landing-charges, which comes to about 10s. 6d. 79. What could you land rimu in Dunedin at? —About the same price. The cost of rimu, roughly, is about Bs. 3d. to Bs. 6d., and 2s. 10d. railage. 80. Assuming that the Oregon came in by ship at one price and you could put your rimu in at the same price, which would get the market first? —In one way the Oregon, as it is in wider boards and longer lengths, which we cannot look at at the same price. 81. You admit you must have Oregon in long pieces?— Yes. 82. Do you think it would be a fair thing to put a heavier duty on small pieces and lighten the duty on large pieces? —Yes, I think so. 83. How many feet of timber would there be in an ordinary five-roomed workman's cottage?— About 15,000. 84. And an increase of Is. per hundred would be £7 10s. ?—Yes. 85. What proportion difes timber bear to the total cost of a house- -about one-fifth?— Yes, about that. The timber would come to about £75, and, 1 suppose, the cottage would cost, say, £350. 86. In regard to the increased cost of building a house, is it only Hie timber that has increased in price? —No, everything has increased. 87. And at the same ratio as timber? —Yes, I think quite as much, if not more; everything in the house has increased, including labour. 88. The increase in the cost of timber is only a fraction? —It is a mere bagatelle. They talk about a wooden house and think it is all wood, but the wood is a very small proportion. 8!). In regard to the timber-merchants in the cities, do you know whether there is any fraud practised on the consuming public by the timber-merchants buying at a certain price a lot of timber and then proceeding to grade it, selling the lower grades at a full price, and the higher grades at too high a rate. Do you know anything about that beinjj done? —No, Ido not. When a merchant buys timber it is graded before he buys it : he pays for the first-class or second-class. 90. And, so far as you know, he sells it as it is graded? —Yes. 91. What is a fair advance on price for the timber-merchant to get over the price he pays the sawmiller for the yarding, handling, carting, and so forth?—He would want 20 or 25 per cent. The trouble of the timber is the handling—it is most expensive to handle it. A retailer very often wants it resawn. I have seen a contractor come in and want, say, 18-feets of 4by 2, and the timber-merchant says, " I have no 18's; I have only 20's," and if the retailer takes them lie will only pay the price of the 18's. In some towns there is a great deal of thieving going on in the yards. 92. Splitting by the sun? —Yes. I had some experience in timber-yards some years ago, but not lately. There is a great loss in that way, and 25 per cent, is not an unreasonable profit at all. 93. If a timber merchant paid 10s., he would not be charging too much at 12s. 6d. ?—He would not, after having stacked it in his yard. 94. What do you think would be a fair thing for 3'ou to get over and above the actual cost of production ? — From 2s. 6d. to 3s. would be little enough considering all the risks, and not only that, but we are cutting out our assets all the time. 95. What, as a matter of fact, do you get?— About Is. 6d. or Is. 9d. It varies, sometimes going as high as 2s. : but it would never touch 2s. 6d. We cannot look at it as over Is. 6d to Is. 9d. 96. Mr. Leyland.] Speaking of wages, and the statement that higher wages are paid here, I suppose you are guided by the award? —I mentioned that it was a difficult question to answer, because so many of the workers get more than is provided under the award. 97. The same obtains all over the country?— Yes, it is difficult to know. 98. A good man is paid good wages?— Exactly. 99. In fact, it is the last thing to economize with a good man?— Yes. 100. Are there any working under the award of the Court?— Yes, I have the award here. 101. That is not an award mutually arranged?—No, that was contested. 102. Speaking of the cost of timber in 1901, do you think that the sawmillers in this district are now getting a larger net profit.than in 1901? —I think that they are getting a smaller net profit. The selling-price has increased, but the net profit is not larger. ]()■'!. You mentioned that the wages had increased 15 per cent., but the cost of everything else in connection with the mills had also increased? —Largely. 104. So that if the selling-price has increased 25 per cent., the cost of production has also increased 25 per cent. I —More than that.