Handling native timber.

Abstract

Formerly the bulk of our softwood supplies were received from the Baltic countries and arrived square sawn in a sufficiently seasoned state to be immediately useable for most purposes. Merchants who dealt solely with imported timber had no need to concern themselves with the preliminary processes of felling, sawing and drying. which the timber had to undergo before reaching their yards, and their knowledge of them was frequently rudimentary and even non-existent. Consequently when all imports ceased they were forced to turn to native woods for their supplies and to enter upon a section of the trade for which, by lack of previous experience, they were exceedingly ill equipped...