﻿T. 
  Kirk. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Utilization 
  of 
  Xeiv 
  Zealand 
  Timbers. 
  461 
  

  

  per 
  cubic 
  foot, 
  and 
  might 
  expect 
  to 
  obtain 
  from 
  one 
  shilling 
  and 
  sixpence 
  

   to 
  two 
  shillings 
  per 
  foot 
  cube. 
  Freight 
  to 
  England 
  would 
  cost 
  another 
  

   shilling, 
  so 
  that 
  while 
  yielding 
  a 
  handsome 
  profit 
  to 
  the 
  settler, 
  the 
  rewa- 
  

   rewa 
  could 
  be 
  sold 
  in 
  London 
  at 
  rates 
  equally 
  low 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  other 
  

   woods 
  of 
  similar 
  or 
  even 
  inferior 
  quality. 
  But 
  a 
  still 
  higher 
  rate 
  of 
  profit 
  

   might 
  occasionally 
  be 
  obtained 
  ; 
  in 
  all 
  ornamental 
  woods 
  exceptionally 
  

   figured 
  planks 
  fetch 
  higher 
  prices 
  than 
  the 
  ordinary 
  forms, 
  and 
  this 
  woiild 
  

   often 
  be 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  rewa-rewa, 
  and 
  timbers 
  of 
  a 
  similar 
  quality. 
  There 
  

   can 
  be 
  no 
  question 
  that, 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  cases, 
  timbers 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  

   would 
  defray 
  the 
  first 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  and 
  leave 
  a 
  considerable 
  surplus, 
  

   instead 
  of 
  being 
  simply 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  expense 
  as 
  at 
  present. 
  

  

  I 
  would 
  venture 
  to 
  suggest 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  leading 
  merchants 
  might 
  

   render 
  good 
  service 
  to 
  the 
  community, 
  at 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  risk 
  to 
  themselves, 
  by 
  

   shipping 
  a 
  marketable 
  parcel 
  of 
  rewa-rewa 
  and 
  similar 
  woods 
  to 
  London 
  ; 
  

   doubtless, 
  many 
  persons 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  who 
  would 
  gladly 
  supply 
  planks 
  at 
  

   a 
  much 
  less 
  price 
  than 
  I 
  have 
  named 
  ; 
  for 
  example, 
  the 
  Karori 
  settlers 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  cutting 
  firewood, 
  either 
  leave 
  rewa-rewa 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  perish, 
  

   or 
  deteriorate 
  their 
  general 
  sample 
  of 
  firewood 
  by 
  mixing 
  rewa-rewa 
  with 
  it, 
  

   and 
  selling 
  the 
  whole 
  at 
  about 
  sixteen 
  shillings 
  the 
  half-cord, 
  or 
  threepence 
  

   per 
  cubic 
  foot. 
  An 
  offer 
  to 
  purchase 
  all 
  the 
  planking 
  they 
  could 
  bring, 
  at 
  

   about 
  one 
  shilling 
  per 
  cubic 
  foot, 
  would 
  ensure 
  a 
  sufficient 
  supply 
  to 
  enable 
  

   the 
  market 
  to 
  be 
  tested 
  with 
  but 
  little 
  risk 
  to 
  the 
  shippers. 
  Possibly, 
  a 
  few 
  

   settlers 
  might 
  combine 
  to 
  prepare 
  a 
  parcel 
  for 
  shipment, 
  and 
  divide 
  the 
  

   profits; 
  but 
  in 
  either 
  case 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  advisable 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  parcel, 
  on 
  its 
  

   arrival 
  in 
  London, 
  submitted 
  at 
  a 
  minimum 
  price 
  to 
  some 
  well-knovv^u 
  

   wholesale 
  furniture 
  manufacturer, 
  or 
  have 
  it 
  offered 
  at 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  

   periodical 
  timber 
  sales, 
  taking 
  care 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  qualities 
  and 
  uses 
  of 
  the 
  

   woods 
  clearly 
  stated. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  unnecessary 
  to 
  offer 
  a 
  complete 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  local 
  timbers 
  

   adapted 
  for 
  furniture 
  work 
  or 
  other 
  special 
  purposes, 
  as 
  particulars 
  may 
  be 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  durabihty 
  of 
  native 
  timbers 
  published 
  by 
  the 
  

   Public 
  Works 
  Department, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  Captain 
  J. 
  Campbell 
  Walker's 
  

   report 
  on 
  the 
  organization 
  of 
  a 
  forest 
  department 
  for 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  I 
  

   would, 
  however, 
  especially 
  draw 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  toro, 
  tipau, 
  mapau, 
  and 
  

   ngaio 
  as 
  valuable 
  timbers, 
  plentiful 
  in 
  certain 
  districts, 
  but 
  at 
  present 
  only 
  

   utilized 
  for 
  firewood. 
  

  

  But 
  we 
  have 
  vast 
  quantities 
  of 
  timber 
  which 
  do 
  not 
  possess 
  sufficient 
  

   durability 
  to 
  allow 
  their 
  being 
  used 
  for 
  out-of-door 
  work, 
  although 
  capable 
  of 
  

   being 
  saturated 
  with 
  some 
  preservative 
  solution 
  at 
  a 
  small 
  cost, 
  and 
  thus 
  

   made 
  available 
  for 
  general 
  purposes. 
  Conspicuous 
  amongst 
  timbers 
  of 
  this 
  

   class 
  are 
  the 
  kahikatea 
  and 
  the 
  tawa. 
  The 
  former 
  is 
  common 
  throughout 
  the 
  

  

  