Old news from Armidale and New England

Saturday 9 January 1904, The Sydney Morning Herald

A TIMBER SEIZURE CASE.

TENTERFIELD, Friday.

An unusually interesting timber seizure case was heard yesterday at Wilson’s Downhill Police Court. The forestry officer had seized several logs obtained by timber-getters off the forest reserve, alleging that the Federal Sawmill Company had a monopoly over 90 acres of such reserve, and that timber-getters not doing business with this mill were forbidden to cut timber. Old pioneer timber-getters were very indignant at the department’s action, and applied against the seizure, their solicitor contending that the granting of timber monopolies was not authorised by the timber regulations. The police magistrate censured the high-handed action of the forest guard, but considered that the practice of the department could not well be upset by an inferior court.