THE PRICES OF HOME TIMBER. 233 



trade, such as that for plasterers' sawn laths, which 

 do not offer any special inducement for competition. 

 If deals and battens from home timber were cut into 

 longer lengths than is at present customary, it might 

 meet the demand in the building trade and result in 

 better prices. 



3. Supplies, even if not large, should be made as regular as 



possible to any consuming market, and the question of 

 even quality and grading should receive much more 

 attention so that a reputation for reliability may be 

 earned. 



4. Every possible effort should be made to induce proprietors 



not to sell timber below its proper value, and to have 

 in the first place an accurate valuation made. If 

 necessary and possible, timber should be held over for 

 a year or so rather than sacrificed below its value. 



5. Pressure should be brought to bear on architects not to 



exclude home timber from their specifications, if the 

 quality is sufficiently good. The following form of 

 specification would probably meet the case — "Only 

 the best quality Foreign Redwood or Whitewood or 

 Home-grown timber of equal quality to be used." 



6. Home timber merchants should be encouraged to keep 



stocks of "seasoned" woods cut to the sizes required 

 in the building trades, as architects will, of course, not 

 allow "green" timber to be used. The question of 

 seasoning is most important and will have to receive 

 serious consideration. 



7. In order to deal with mixed lots and also with the very 



small and practically unmarketable lots, it might be 

 possible to establish a depot or a number of depots to 

 which such lots might be consigned in a manufactured 

 or semi-manufactured state, there to be classified and 

 exposed for sale : if by degrees machinery could be 

 provided at these depots for the conversion of this 

 timber a solution might be found for one of the most 

 baffling problems in the home timber trade. 



8. Proprietors who have estate saw-mills should be urged 



to consider carefully the prices being obtained for sawn 

 material. If such material is being sold locally at or 

 below cost price, as is quite commonly the case, it 



VOL. XXVII. PART II. Q 



