179

H.—24.

C. TAYLOR.

9. Mr. Ell.] In regard to the house you mentioned costing £495, have you any idea what the house would cost now according to existing prices?—l should say about £550. As a matter of fact, that house was too cheap at the time. There is an advance generally all round. 10. Mr. Field.] It is not quite a fair example?— That is the minimum. If you examined the sheet you would see how it worked out. 11. Mr. Ell.] In that £500 how much would be represented by the advance in the price of the timber? —It is difficult to say, but I think it is plain enough. There is about 15,500 ft. of timber, and at Is. it would be from about £7 to £10. 12. Now, in regard to dressed timber, I understand there was a rise in dressed timber recently, and a reduction in the price of the rough timber—is that so?— Yes, I believe that is the case. 13. How much has dressed timber advanced by? —I really could not tell you. We very seldom buy any timber for dressing. We usually get a cargo for ourselves, arid dry it, and do all our own milling 14. And all the rough timber is reduced Is. per hundred feet?->— Yes. 15. Do you know what that reduction was due to?— The reason, I think, was that it was difficult to get the dressing-sorts. It has become more difficult to procure timber suitable for dressing. 16. With regard to building-timber, what kinds of timber does a builder require in a house of the sort you mentioned? —In this particular house the plates were V.D.L., and the whole of the other timber was red-pine. The sashes were redwood, kauri doors, and redwood or Baltic front doors. 17. What kind of timber is used now in the building of an ordinary house? —It entirely depends on what is specificd —sometimes it is Oregon and sometimes red-pine. It is usually redpine for all roof-framing, and sometimes kauri for window-frames; redwood or Baltic for sashes, but generally houses of the description I mentioned are of red-pine. 18. Now, for rough building-timber, the price of rimu and Oregon is about the same?— Yes. 19. So that it is just a question of choice —there is nothing to gain by buying Oregon instead of rimu? —The only gain is that it is easily worked and costs less for labour, and is a better job. It is more suitable for framing than red-pine, because it is more reliable. It is lighter and stronger, and you can depend upon it, and that is more than can be said for red-pine. 20. Is that not owing to its seasoned condition? —No, I think it is the nature of it. Redpine is a good timber, but Oregon is better for the particular purposes for which it is used. 21. Can you tell the Commission your experience as to the difference in the value of seasoned timber as compared with that out of the forest green?—Do you refer to red-pine? 22. Yes?— Well, with regard to red-pine, that is usually used for framing purposes. To start with, Ido not know of any other timber that seasons so quickly as red-pine does. Three or four weeks' drying will be quite sufficient, especially if it has had a good rain since leaving the mill. If it gets a good soaking of rain it will take the sap out much quicker than dry weather, and the timber will be better for it. With regard to the timber usually used for framing, my contention is that if the timber leaves the mill straight for the job before the place is covered in, the timber is practically dry enough for all purposes. That is for a wooden building, because in a wooden building there is a certain amount of circulation of air through the weatherboards that does not take place in a brick building, and the timber is improving all the time. Notwithstanding that, I maintain that Oregon pine is better for the job. 23. So, then, it is on account of its greater suitability that it is selected? —That is so. 24. Have you experienced auy difficulty in obtaining long lengths and large sizes in New Zealand timbers ?—Yes, it is very difficult to secure the sizes you require. In fact, usually in jobs of any considerable size a special order has to be sent away as soon as the job is secured, and then there is usually a delay before the timber is on the ground, and then it is not suitable. There is no doubt that with large timber such as 12 by 3 and 12 by 4 coming direct out of the bush, it is not conducive to a good job, nor to the reputation of the man handling it. Moreover, it costs anything from 50 to 100 per cent, more to handle it on account of its great weight. 25. Now, supposing the specifications require that to be cased in, what is the effect if you put a green striflger into a building?—l do not think that would have any material effect on the wet timber, because there is usually sufficient air circulating round any casing so long as the ends are not sealed. If the end of the timber is painted or tarred, or in any way sealed up, then deca}' must take place on account of the sealing-up of the pores. '26. Now, with, regard to the price, do you find Oregon pine cheaper in greater lengths than New Zealand timbers?—lt is—we have used it considerably. 27. According to the last witness it was a difference of 4s. 6d. in a 30ft. length?—We have used a considerable quantity. We had lengths of 36 ft., and they were charged at 16s. per hundred, and if it had been red-pine it would have been 2s. more. 28. Seeing that Oregon pine can be obtained in long lengths, which is necessary for the building industry, do you think in view of that fact it is desirable to impose a heavier duty? —No, Ido not think so. I think Oregon pine should come in free of duty simply because it is not going to replace our red-pine. There is sufficient room for both timbers. The class of Oregon pine that is coming in will never compete with red-pine for the purposes for which red-pine is suitable. It is a very rough, inferior class of Oregon pine that is coming into the colony; it is jthe lowest grade. There is no question about that, and the highest grades of that pine are expensive. 29. For studs and rough work it is well adapted?— Yes, well adapted. You could never work that class of timber into joiners' work. 30. It would never come into competition with rimu suitable for joinery work? —No.