Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-07-28
THE LUMBER TRADE.

u
Meeting of Lumbermen and Railroad Men
The Chippewa, Wis, Lumber District
Reaching Ont for the Missouri Valley
Trade.
Mr.. George Odds, general freight agent of the
Kansas City, st. 10 & Council Bluff railroad,
has been in this city for some days in the in
tcrests of his road. His presence in st. Paul
being made known to the lumber dealers OF the
Chippewa, Wis, district. number OF
them arrived by the early morning train over
the Chicago, st. Paul & Minneapolis railroad.
These lumber merchants and manufacturers
have grievance. They have difficulty in reach
ing the Missouri river region with their pro-
ducts, the distributing centres OF which are
Kansas City, St. 10 and Atchinson. The rail-
road freight rates to these points have hereto
fore been so ruinously high, probably owing to
the lack of continuity of action on the part of
the lines themselves-that the Chippewa lumber
districts have been unable to mpetesucessfUlly
with Chicago in the Missouri valley market,
that city having direct communication there
with over competing roads. On the other hand
the Chippewa lumber may be said to have only
one practical and economical outlet, the Mis-
sissippi river-only available for one half OF
the year-and, to attain the Missouri district,
it has to be shipped to the points above lndl
Gated. This mt thod of transmission has the
further disadvantage of dsenabling the shipper
in forwarding dressed lumber or lumber in the
form of sash, doors, etc., as rafting would be
fatal thereto. Hence, the Chippewa lumber at
tains the Missouri valley market in an entirely
unseasoned condition. This necessltates the
establishing of extensive yards for
seasoning the lumber, manned by numer-
GUS employees, and the whole maintained
at vast expense. All these circumstances
necessarily conspire to depress the Chippewa
lumber trade, and above all. they are death
blow to the establishment and profitable run
ming of planning mills and kindred manufac-
tories at Eau Claire, Menominee and Chippewa
Falls, the main points OF the Chippewa lumber
district. IT, therefore, these disabilities could
be removed by through-rail communication
between the Western and Northwestern Wis
.consin lumber region, and the places OF sale IN
Missouri valley, it is pal pable that an enor-
NOUS benefit would inevitably ensure to the
former. Thereby it is reasonably hoped that
an impetus would be given to the lumber busl-
ness OF the Chippewa valley and tributary
region, by virtually opening up new
market. Mills would spring up and be main
tanned as profitable investments. The dis
bursements now necessary in the way of main
tanning Missouri lumber yards and paying the
employees thereof would be expended at home,
and the hundreds of men engaged elsewhere
would be attracted and would be furnished
work at the centres where the logs first encoun-
tered the saw. new era, in fact, would
dawn.
The foregoing, in brief are the reasons which
actuated the Chippewa valley lumber dealers to
come to st. Paul yesterday, and a meeting was
accordingly organized in the offices of the Chi
cago, st. Paul & Minneapolis railroad to further
the objects above outlined The
lumber interests were represented thereat as
fol Nv m
for Knapp, Stout X Co. Chippewa Falls, by
FL. s. Allen. for the Union Lumber company
Eau Claire, by O. H. Ingram. for Ingram, Ken
nedy & Co.. A. Kempt and James Murray, fol
the Eau Claire Lumber company; G. M. Bull.
lene, for the Daniel Shaw Lumber company
ID. II. Moon, for the Northwestern Lumber
company; Allen Burdette, for Prescott & Bur-
dette; Sidney Sherman, for Sherman & Boyd
There were also present l.. G. Stanley, s. Mars
ton, r. +. Wilson and City Attorney Griffin, OF
Eau Claire. The four railroads in interest
were represented as under: l.. Q. Stanley
general manager of the Chippewa Falls &
Western railroad; George Odds. general freight
agent of the Kansas City, st. 10 & Counci
Bluffs railroad; +. B. Clarke and j. 81. Hiland
general freight agent and assistant general
freight agent of the West Wisconsin railroad
and Gen. j. w. Bishop, general manager, j. r
freight agent, and Horace Thompson, treasurer
all of the St. Paul & Sioux City railroad.
Capt. Wilson was called to the chair, aut
Messrs. j. H. HiIand and l.. G.. Stanley wer
appointed secretaries.
The chairman statei the object of the meet
ing to be the perfection Of railroad arrange
ments, whereby Chippewa lumber could reac
st. 10, Atkinson and Kansas City at rate
whereby Chicago might be there successful
competed with. The continuance of the agree
ment, should, at first, be for fixed period, an
be prolonged far the advantage
were found to be mutual.
mr. Alexander kempt presented the follow
ing statistics of lumber transportation fro1
the Chippewa district by the waters of the Mi
sippi river, and then reshipped to the Nilsson
valley:
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