472 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



altogether all other countries have increased their trade during the 

 decade except Canada and New Zealand. 



Active competition of the United States corporations and unprofit- 

 able dumping of surplus stock by these, it is found, has kept Canadian 

 producers from this market. 



The Australian market, however, is a growing one — in ten years, 

 from 1903 to 1913, it increased 142 per cent! — and recent organization 

 of the export trade from the Pacific Coast promises to regulate it in 

 such a manner as to make it profitable for Canadian operators trading 

 with a sister colony. 



The report is divided into seven sections, namely: Influence of 

 Native Timber on the Australian Markets; The Use of Timber in 

 Australia; Timber Imports of Australia; Manner in Which Importa- 

 tion of Timber Is Handled ; Discussion of Australian Imports by 

 Classes ; Canada's Position in Australian Timber Imports ; Future 

 Possibilities. 



While for the last twenty years or so Australia has taken at the 

 rate of 100,000,000 feet, mainly Douglas fir, from the Pacific Coast, 

 her supphes of native timber have shrunk so that a rapid increase of 

 imports is bound to come. Australian forests are almost wholly mixed 

 hardwoods, belonging mainly to the eucalypts and acacias, sometimes 

 as enormously developed as the Pacific Coast timber — 200,000 feet to 

 the acre and up to 360,000 feet. Jarrah and karri are the export 

 species — jarrah on account of its durability, combined with strength 

 and hardness, for railroad ties ; karri, lacking durability, but having 

 the other qualities ; several others, being teredo-proof, for piling and 

 marine works. All are hard and difficult to work. The lack is in 

 softwoods, hence American and European coniferous material are 

 imported (at the rate of GO feet per capita in western Australia). 

 There are several species of pine, chiefly in New South Wales and 

 Queensland, but so scattered over inaccessible country as to make 

 exploitation costly. Even the good timber is unfavorably located, so 

 that few mills can put timber on the market for $35 per M, and in 

 many instances the cost goes up to $45 more than the imported wood. 

 The prices for imported rough lumber quoted in Sydney run from 

 $44.40 to $46.80, while home woods bring $48 to $62.40. Fire and 

 ring-barking (for the sake of pasturing) has injured much of the native 

 forest. 



The consumption of lumber and timber, leaving out posts, piles, 



