830 PODOCARPUS TOTARA. 
of these mills does not call for special notice, and there is nothing remarkable 
in the working of the forests, which in most cases are penetrated ty tramw: ‘ays, 
with rails of odd or, rarely, of iron, in one instance worked by steam 1 motor, 
In old totara trees the waste is very large, owing to the decay commencing: n 
the upper branches and descending to thie heart: in some cases it exceeds 50 
per cent., and is rarely under 4o per cent. Not unfrequently irregular swollies 
and Surrowths on the trunks of old trees render them unsymmetrical, whic cl 
increases the percentage of waste. I have seen excessive waste caused by a 
small amount of heart-decay at the base, where it formed a cone from aft. to 
Aft. high, and from 2in. to 4in. in diameter. Defects of this nature are chiefly 
due to the timber having been allowed to stand too long after it has attained ripe 
maturity. In trees cut at the proper stage the waste is comparatively small 
except in unsymmetrical trunks. 
Many of the sawmillers obtain their logs from freehold land, and not unfre- 
quently they are sent long distances by rail: the Napier mills are supplied in 
this way from forest adjoining the Napier and Woodville Railway. Others 
obtain it from settlers or Natives on payment of a royalty varying from Is. to 2s. 
per 100 superficial feet. “Two shillings is not more than a fair royalty for good 
totara. In some cases blocks of land are leased from the Maoris at a fixed 
annual rental: Iwas informed of an instance in which a iarge area, original ra 
leased from the Maoris for a yearly payment of £300, was sublet for £1,500, 
which would be equivalent to a royalty of 2s. per 100 superficial feet ona 
million and a half superficial feet of converted timber, or very nearly th 
million feet, log measurement. 
First-class totara forest often yields very high returns per acre: in one 
instance in which the returns were carefully eared out the average for twenty- 
six acres was 43,092 superficial feet; but from 80,000ft. to too,oooft. has beets 
obtained. A grove of totara hich certainly did not cree thirty acres in 
extent, dtaated near the mouth of the Pohangina River, was leased to Mes 
avant and Beard, of Ashurst, at a royalty of Is. 3d. per roo superficial fe ans 
These gentlemen obtained 3,104,000 superficial feet of converted timber from_ 
the area, and paid £1,940 in royalty, which gives an average yield of 103,4 166 
Supericial feet, equivalent to £64 13s. 4d. per acre: but joes of this kind bad 
now become extremely rare, except in the central portion of the North Isla: nd. 
It may be fairly assumed that the districts in which totara is chiefly produced 
at this date will be exhausted within ten years. 
‘Totara is exported from Napier to the Australian Colonies to a small ext rent 
only, and, although strenuous efforts have been made to force an export trade, 
they have failed to command success. Notwithstanding the high intrinsic valt 1e 
of totara, it has no advantage over kauri except for certain special purposes; 
while it is less easy to work, ay owing to the enormous waste in the convers a 
of old trees, is slightly more expensive to manufacture. This, however, is of 
small importance, as the home demand is increasing with great rapidity. For 
some years past Auckland has obtained the chief portion at totara consumed ir 
that district from Hawke’s Bay, and Otago is now being supplied from the same 
source. Year by year it is becoming increacinely difficult to obtain piles of large 
dimensions, and there can be no dowbs that before any great length of time has 
elapsed prices will advance rapidly. 
At present first-class totara for ordinary balan purposes sells at fr om 
12s. to 13s. 6d., all heart at from 14s. 6d. to 16s., per 100 superficial feet ;_ bridge 
and wharf tapers at somewhat higher rates, according to the dimensi 
required ; railway-sleepers, from 2s. od. to 3s. 3d. each; telegraph-posts, 2oft. 
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