Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-04-12
the Pos1.INTELlIceNceR PUB. GO.
se.ttIe. June 10 1888.


n, q Van Schaick, President Of
The Mort western LUMBER ManuIac-
.nysrs' A Association, has issued a circular
N the members OF the hsnoc'atioh'
wb;cb reads as follows: d,
Yonr attention Is respectfully called
.. The hill now before Congress, Rener-
sI,u Known AS the Morrison bill" to
.srd s,. the tariff, and which, II passed
n,,hout amendment, will place lumber
w the free list. All the arguments that
-. nsed during the last session of
Conors.s TO prevent reduction in the
Sntv ON imported lumber apply IN the
.,.ssnt case. and there is no good rea-
s"n whv ae auty should be wholly re-
moved, Il might be proper to make a
81, reduction from tho present duty, to
cIoca Inmber uyOn an equal footing
nth the other manufactured articles OF
the United States, rs the producers OF
vool iron and many staples have been
;,.Inded in the number, who would re-
Give less protection under the amen ded
lav. and they being consumers Of lum-
Ler' can perhaps justly claim such equal
,sdnction in the duty on lumber, as
their own prodpcts suffer. While crown
timber lands in Canada are selling fully
- mar thousand feet less than timber OF
ssme ouality, and AS accessible to mar
ket. sells for in the United States, and
with an average rate OF Transportation
With the lumber Of the United States, 1t
il quite probable that the removal OF
the present duty. or any part OF 1t,
would promptly add an equal amount to
the value of standing timber III Canada,
instead of causing lumber to decline in
the markets of the United States. The
massage Of the Morrison bill could bene
a. but one section of the United States,
even il timber did not advance in Can
ada. and this would include the New
England States, New York, New Jersey
and the lake region OF Ohio and Penn
sylyania. Coilinowood representing
the Georgian Bay is the only port west
of Lake Ontario that could ship lumber
TO western markets, and the amount
that is likely to seek western markets
from all Lake Huron ports. would be
small in any event. Canada lumber
cannot be shipped south Of a line
drawn from st. Louis to the At
lantic Ocean, nor west of line
drawn from st. Paul to New Orleans. as
the pine of tbs South and West could,
with proper facilities for manufactur-
ing, hold those markets, and be sellers
Of pine and redwood long after Canada
was exhausted and stripped Of timber.
As the West is not likely to require Ca
madam lumber, from any scarcity OF
the native production at convenient,
shipping points, and as it cannot be
sent to the Southern States and those
west Of the Missouri River, from failure
to pay transportation and compete with
native timber. neither the Southern nor
Pacific States can afford to enact a law
TO advance the value of Canadian tim
Der, when they have SO much to sell,
and when capital is beginsing to take
II freely. II is clearly the duty of the
members of this association To use their
personal influence with their Senators
and members of the House of Repre-
sentatives, by prompt appeals, as the
bill Is already before the House-using
such arguments as may suggest them
selves.