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KEPPELCOAST S-M-A-SH REPAIRS %Si Tanby Rd 39 4166,
ISSUE 464 FRIDAY, JULY 3,1992 — THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1992 PHONE (079) 39 5555
Fax (079) 395-395
'414vICE-D 24HR BREAKDOWN SERVICE & MECHANICAL REPAIRS.
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Bondoola sawmill closes Boss blames 'level playing field' for loss of 35 jobs in 12 months • By Rhett Watson BONDOOLA Sawmill marked its 25th anni-
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versary by closing down on Tuesday, ending a year of death throes which has seen an everdecreasing staff handling less and less work. Just a year ago the Parkside Pine Division Bondoola (Caribbean Pine Mill), as it is correctly known had 35 people working full-time. These numbers were slashed to 13 in August last year and in March this year, six more were paid off leaving a staff of just seven until May. Two months ago only two jobs remained ... mill manager and yard foreman. On Tuesday, the mill manager lost his job and the only job remaining is caretaker. On Tuesday, just hours before the closedown, mill manager John Martin and yard manager George Cavanagh spoke about what had caused the closure. Mr Martin said the closure must affect the Capricorn Coast because the $25,000 that used to be injected directly into the Coast economy was now a thing of the past. "We used to inject about $25,000 into the Coast every week, including $14,000 in wages," he said. "The Coast has to lose with that amount of money missing." Mr Martin said the forest industry in Queensland employed 14,000 and produced about a $1 billion a year. Bondoola, until recently, had played its part. "At full production we employed 35 people in the mill. Then there was the logging contractor who hired three people and bought specialised logging machinery ... he, and his staff are now out of a job, too," he said. "Another job lost will be that of a man who has been with the mill since it began operations around 1977 ... Jack Moss. "We supplied him with saw dust and wood chip but where will he go now?" Mr Martin said the closure was going to affect forestry workers and other jobs created indirectly, such as rail staff engaged in transporting finished timber. "We were the sixth largest user of the railways in Yeppoon," he said. "Another loser will be the State Government
which will lose the royalties we had to pay for the Caribbean Pines." He blamed the Federal Government for the mill's problems because it introduced a "level playing field". The mill was forced to cease operations because it could not compete on the open market anymore. "The Federal Government introduced a' level playing field' idea a while ago, meaning sawmills had to compete on the world market without any tariffs," Mr Martin said. "Softwood is imported from places like Oregon, Fiji, the West Coast of America and New Zealand and it is sold in Australia for less than what it costs us to mill it. "I think the wood is being dumped on to the market but it's very hard to prove ... they just call it discounting." He said the mill used to give a lot of "young fellas" a start after school. "But where will they go now? There aren't enough jobs around as it is." Caribbean Pine Mill is controlled by the Tapiolas family's privatecompany. The family also controls other pine mills-and hardwood mills. Mr Martin said only the pine mills were closing because of imports ... no hardwoods were imported. "We were very reluctant to close but our stock was just sitting here. We had no turnover," he said. "When you start cutting more than you are selling it doesn't take long to become overstocked. "Some time ago we had difficulty in our logging but this was overcome with new machinery and techniques. "We just can't overcome this problem because it's political. The government could rectify the problem overnight if it wanted to. "Even America looks after its industries. If the government restricted the amount of imports it would help. "I know of six other mills that have closed because of this problem." • CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
$400,000 supermarket for James St A NEW enlarged Woody's Supermarket will be seen in James Street in about four months and open for business by the end of the year. The new complex will cost over $400,000 and will be about one and a half times bigger than the present store. It will be built in front of Stanhive Flats next to the Commonwealth Bank on land owned by Jim and Jane Wood ... the owners of Woody's Supermarket. Two years in the planning, the supermarket
will be modern, but with a colonial look. The building will feature slate, rendered block work and timber. Added touches will be a large clock, weather vane and finial. The supermarket will include a delicatessen and class three butcher shop. "We opened Woody's about six and a half years ago and purchased the new site because we thought it was the perfect place for a supermarket in the future," Mrs Wood said.
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"Yeppoon is growing and that time has now come. It is a big step, but we believe it is the right one. Our lease expires in the new year and our new building will be ready for us then. "Jim and I have worked closely with architects Tony Madden and Mike Tanner and builder T F Woolam & Son to design and build a supermarket in a style that we thought would suit Yeppoon." Mrs Wood said the Stanhive Flats building would remain on the block, but the downstairs
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flats would be replaced by a storeroom and a coldroom. "Woody's is an independent supermarket and will remain that way. We will operate in our own new premises seven-days-a-week from 6am to 9pm," she said. "The only difference will be the shop's address, lay out and the extra variety of stock. We will continue to offer the same friendly, courteous service." • ARTISTS IMPRESSION ON PAGE 3
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Coastal Pet & Produce "tarkettus, 39 1996