i66 TIMBER SUPPLIES AND THE WAR 



their imports into this country from various parts of 

 the world. It will then be possible to consider the 

 position, so far as forest imports are concerned, in 

 which the sudden incidence of a general European 

 War has placed us. It will be pointed out how, whilst 

 helping to the utmost extent of our resources the mine- 

 owner, builder, and other trades employing wood, an 

 admirable opportunity has arrived for clearing off a 

 number of wrongly formed and badly grown planta- 

 tions and of starting afresh. A study of the imports 

 for 1913, which will be now proceeded with, will 

 sufficiently support this contention. 



The United Kingdom buys nearly half the timber 

 exported from all countries, and the prices ruling in 

 British markets affect the world ! With a war of 

 the present magnitude on our hands this state of 

 affairs appears worthy of some consideration. An 

 investigation of the Board of Trade Returns for 1913 

 shows that the value of wood and timber and manu- 

 factures thereof imported into this country amounted 

 for that year to £37,300,000, as against £25,600,000 

 in 1909. For the same years the value of imported 

 wood pulp, including millboard and wood-pulp board, 

 was £5,425,000, as against £4,135,000. The rise in 

 each case over a period of four years only is note- 

 worthy. The chief exporting countries in Europe 

 are Russia, Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, and 

 Austria-Hungary, the three first being the most import- 

 ant. Outside Europe the United States of America 

 and Canada send us large amounts of wood material. 



