Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-04-26

A comparison of the foregoing quotations
with those published in the Pioneer Press
will disclose the fact that the prices per
thousand feet, as above given, average over
ST. less than those furnished by the Third
street reporter.
Mr.. Whaley further added that, in speak
ing to the reporter of the sheet in question
of the present relations of supply and de-
nand of lumber, he had never boldly stated
that ''the limited supply Of lumber on hand
can be sold at ruling prices,'' but he had
said OF lath only that prices would be main
talked, owing to many of the mills now util-
izing their slabs by more proftably manu-
featuring their slabs in box-board stuff, in
stead of laths, which limit the supply of
lath. and probably their prices would not re-
cede on that account.
J.P. aR1BBEN,
lumber dealer, corner Ninth and jackson
streets, was next called upon. He clearly
denied there was any lumber ring in exist
ence in the city. St. Paul lumber dealers,
not being manufacturers, merely follow the
market. They do not create prices, but
only shade the market enough to get share
of the business, and to protect their Gus
toners. Just now, there existed, for reasons
that could be easily understood, q
good, ready demand, which caused
lumber to command fair prices, just in the
same manner as wheat, or any other COM
modify, realizing an increased price on an
increased demand. In 1877, the prices of
lumber were SO thoroughly demoralized, in
consequence Of the grasshopper plague
having utterly stopped all demand, and by
reason of the immense stocks on hand, that,
in reality, there was then no list of prices.
Now, the case was precisely the
reverse: Stocks were low, and
the demand was great. Referring
to the quotations for 1878, as given in the
Pioneer Press, Mr.. Gribben said they were
body knew, exceeded the wholesale prices,
and he concluded by affirming that St. Paul
wholesale prices compared favorably with
any market in this section.
j. s. PRINCE
was found at the Savings bank on Third
street. He secuted the idea Of there being
St. Paul lumber ring. The lumbe,
dealers of this city were, he said
at the mercy of Minneapolis. and
they cannot buy or sell for less than they
are now doing. There were no mills in the
city, and the presumption that there could
by any possibility, be any collision between
St. Paul lumber dealers and Minneapolis
and Saltwater manufacturers was sheer non.
sense. Such combination would be as
preposterous as customer and merchant
combining to keep up the prices of commod-
tiles that the former wished to purchase
The st. Paul lumber dealers had to 90 to
Saltwater and Minneapolis to purchase thei1
lumber, and the possibility of any combina.
ton between the three-one as the buye1
and the other two as the sellers-was trans
parently absurd. AS proof of this, when
in times of winter, st. Paul lumber dealers
had, from necessity, put prices up here
Minneapolis manufacturers, taking advan
tage of the fact, had, on those occasions, re
sorted to mills in operation in winter away
up in outlying districts. With reference t.
the apparent discrepancy between the St.
Paul and Chicago prices, Mr.. Prince sale
tuey were easily explained and reconciled
chicago was, this season, very backward il
entering into its lumber contracts with the
Michigan manufacturers, its sources
OF lumber supply, and prices were
held back, until the prices here
had been forced up by the belief reasonably
prevailing that the year s log cut was going
to be excessively small, while the demand was
6O.n6 " 10 eAGkoucty DIlSK. Inc C0lCa8C
prices quoted by the Pioneer Press were
those of the extreme depressions which OBJ.
tanned under the uncertainty attending the
absence OF contracts for the incoming sea.
son. It was perfectly natural, therefore, 70,
some OF the Minnesota dealers to drop of
to Chicago and obtain supplies at prices that
were purely abnormal. Since then, how
ever, the tariff had been equalized, for Chi
cago prices, since the contracts had been
filled, had jumped up on all grades, until
now they were fully $1.5O thousand higher
than the veracious reporter of the down.
town concern had placed them. Then again,
on the other hand, the prices as given BY the
same source @ these Of ST. Paul for the Cur
rent year were the extreme highest retail
prices, and were unjusti6ably placed in COM
parison with CHICAGO prices at their lo.aast