174 TIMBER SUPPLIES AND THE WAR 



so far as is possible, of these two classes of wood during 

 the next few months, until more distant countries 

 can come to our help, is the problem before us. That 

 efforts will be made by countries farther afield to take 

 advantage of this decrease in imports in the British 

 market has already been evidenced by the offer of the 

 Government of Newfoundland. It has already in- 

 timated its desire and intention to supply the pit- 

 wood market. For this purpose there are, it is under- 

 stood, considerable areas of scrub and stunted material 

 in the Colony on tracts formerly over-run by fires, 

 which it is expected will be able to furnish considerable 

 supplies of pitwood of the smaller sizes. America 

 and Canada, who already send us well over a fourth of 

 the imports of coniferous logs and sawn and planed 

 timber, may increase this amount. This may, how- 

 ever, take time. The supply of imported oak timber 

 will also be practically confined to the United States 

 and Canada. It would appear, therefore, that in 

 these three directions there is a great opportunity for 

 home-grown material, material which, owing to a 

 variety of causes, chiefly perhaps the rough knotty 

 nature of the wood grown and the heavy railway freight 

 rates, has not up to now been able to compete in the 

 open market with imported material of the same 

 species and class, but of better quality. For the figures 

 of imports already tabulated emphatically prove that 

 colliery-owners and others are no longer in a position 

 allowing them to pick and choose. True, owing to 

 our contracted exports to the countries engaged in 

 war less wood materials may be required in these 

 islands. But our imports are so vast, and the home 



