East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1865-07-12


Peace, such as the nation has con-
quered brings with it the inexorable
necessity for the restoration of these
ruined cities and villages, and the
rehabilitation of these wasted States.
Who can estimate the amount of ma
terial required to do this2 Lumber
and timber are the principal ingredi-
ents required in the building of cities,
and of houses and fences in the
country.
Then the war has enfranchised
free labor, and has also given to the
nation a grand and permanent finan-
cial system. Thus American enter
prise is left with no limit to its activi-
ties and achievements but those of
its own capabilities.
Northern cities, beyond the desola-
ting tread of hostile forces, are full
and overlooking. New York needs
at once, houses for $4,000 roofless
denizens. The other great cities,
East and West, are similarly deficient
in the required accommodations for
their rapidly augmenting population.
We return from this review OF the
situation" with two prominent facts
impressed upon our minds. Vacuum
everywhere, vast enough to swallow
all the timber of the country, and
everywhere the evidences of the nee
essary disposition and stimulation to
fill them-out of which we cannot coin
the needed answer to the primal in
quiry (which is, and wherein lies the
cause Of the inactivity in the whole
sale lumber market? ?"
There remains just one other coli
dition to consider, from which we may
derive a satisfactory response.
How about the supply the lumber
yards in all the great and little marts
of the country are empty-or nearly
SO. Certain poetical item gatherers
for the Metropolitan press during the
season of log cutting reported from
various lumber regions in this State,
that 'three or four times the amount
Of logs would be cut and delivered,
that were ever cut before in one sea-
SON." The eager dealers deduced from
Just as substantial promise as that,
the conclusion that three or four
times the amount of lumber would be
manufactured this season that was
ever manufactured before in one sea-
son. This argument they have made
available in the support of their dis
honorable combination. How is the
factP In the first place there was
as as many Gt more tn logs tits Season as Val
cut the previous season. That is to
say; suppose the amount cut the sea-
son before to have been 600, 100000
feet, then there were not cut last win
ter to exceed 600, 100000 feet. Hun
dreds of men cut saw-logs who owned
no mills. So it may result that even
hundreds of millions of logs might be
cut that could not be sawed.
There is no other place in the State
where the prosperity of the trade
would be more likely to result in the
erection of new mills and the expan-
sion of the manufacturing capacity,
than in this Valley. And yet, with
the magnificent results of last season
to spice an enterprise, I am sure
that speak within the truth, when I
write that the manufacturing capacity
Of this entire region has not been in
creased over that of last season ten
per cent, Then let what transpire
that may, there will not now be cut
this, as much as there Was cut last
season, by many millions.
Here, as elsewhere in our investi-
cations, we find no adequate answer
to the query propounded in the open
ing of this paper.
AS diligently, however, as I have
sought, in all legitimate fields of in
!uiry for the answer, it can be found
easily and without the chance Of mis-
take. We have discovered that there
is no rational, well grounded cause
for the present deadlock in the lum-
Der trade. We must look outside the
regular and established laws of trade.
We shall find it in the mean, narrow
selfshness Of the dealers. They make
no concessions to the consumers
They sell as high from their yards as
ever. But they combine against the
Saginaw manufacturers, and they
make no concealment of the basis of
their action. 1t is purely and solely
the supposed embarressments of the
former, and their consequent ability
to hold.
They reason openly, that while we
go on making, our difficulties will
necessarily increase, and soon we will
generally be compelled into the mar
ket with our product and receive such