Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-06-26
LUMBER.
Condition of the Trade IN the Mississippi
Talley.. Comparison auth Prevtous Years

Condition of the Trade IN the Mtsstsstppi
Talley.-C Companion auth Precious Years
| Liability of the Stock Running Ont--
Facts Developed bv Careful Examination,
! and Inquiry.
Col. Platt B. Walker, editor of the Mississippi
Valley Lunabe1nlae and Manufacturer, returned
Monday evening, from two weeks visitIto st.
Louis and intervening points. From the most
careful and painstaking examination and in
quiry, and from sources the most reliable, he
CLEANS the following facts and fig
ures, which may be regarded as
approximately correct. The conclusions drawn
are also those of Col. Walker, based upon the
figures collected by him during his absence.
The entire lumber product of the Mississippi
valley for the year 1873, will be far from
425, 600, 900 feet. This amount has been Sc
cured up to this time, and is divided about as
follows:
chippewa river. .125, OOO, 900
st. Crolx river. 1875, 000 900
Upper Mississippi river. .125, 900 900
On the Mississippi river, at the various
! points between Minneapolis and st. Louis
| the entire stock of logs and lumber
including $4,000, 900 feet brought into the val
| ley from the Chicago and Toledo markets. will
not exceed fifty per cent. of the stock on sale
at the same points last year during the third
| week in June.
! The probabilities are that the estimated
| 425 0OO, 900 given above will be increased by
| 100000 more from the Black river, and
100000 more from the Chippewa, making
| the probable total product Of the valley for
| 1873, $50, 000,0 feet.
In 1877 the total product for the valley was
1927 900 feet; and in 1876 the total product
was LATE, 100000.
4 l. L e
| 1878 will be only about one-third that of two
years ago, and about two thirds of that of last
| year. All will understand that the product of
| 1876 was largely in excess of any possible i'm
| mediate demand, while the supply of last year
will be called just about sufficient to meet the
er the immense immigration that is pouring
into the West, and remember the
demand for lumber thereby created,
we may we'll stop and consider
for the moment the question Of demand and
| supply.
Col. Walker thinks the shortage is beginning
to be felt already in the valley, and this short
age is even now figuring to press on the Chica-
go market; that city having been for sixty
days sending out dry lumber % make up de-
| ticiencies in the Mississippi valley. The stock
on hand at all markets below Minneapolis and
above st. Louis are broken up, and there is
| now no place the river that is prepared to
compete with Chicago for the Missouri river
Kansas and Nebraska trade, and no place is
| making any effort to control that trade against
Chicago, except, possibly, Toledo.
The reason why Toledo is situated as to
| enter into competition with Chicago for this
trade of the great new West, is because in the
recent adjustment of freight rates between the
different railways uniting Chicago and St.
Louis, the great Wabash line, from Toledo to
the West, was left entirely out Now Toledo is
the gateway leading out Of the Saginaw
lumber district, kand the Wabash line has
been making glad the hearts Of the people of
the West, by putting down rates as follows:
From Toledo to Chicago, 500 per car; to Han
nibal 1922 per car; to Kansas City $50 per car.
This rate has for the present reduced the price
of lumber through Iowa and Missouri, but it
has also served the purpose Of stripping the
markets Of Toledo, and the entire Saginaw dis
trict Of dry Lumber.
The extreme high rates of freights
the South and West has up to this is
time made it impossible for Minnesota
! to compete with these Eastern dealers, but
gradually, as the supply is exhausted there the
| demand will become greater upon this locality
and freight rates will either go down or the
price of lumber go up.
But the one lesson which the above facts and
figures convey is that the supply is short, and
must increase the price before many weeks
shall pass.