Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-09-29
WEYERHAUSER TALKS.
Declaring There are no Lumber
Trusts in Existence.
The Great Lumber Man Gives Nome
Interesting Explanations and Inror-
marion--Kumors and Their Origin.


mona recently, he was queried of great
deal in regard to the alleged lumber trust
which he is reported to have formed and
the news of which has been heralded to
almost every lumber manufacturing point
in the country. In regard to the alleged
lumber trust Mr.. Weyerhauser talked
freely. and it may be well right here. in
order to put an end to all rumors that are
aaoat, to quote Mr.. Weyerhauser's own
words upon this alleged trust. In re-
Spouse to the INQUIRY as to. what there
was in the report, new or old, he said:
Certainly nothing that is new, and l
think you will believe me when l say it
is true that there is absolutely nothing to
tell for the very good reason that so far
as our operations go there is no trust in
existence"
What popularity is there about your
organization that has given rise TO the
common but mistaken nolionP"
''Oh, it is very simple-an l can best
explain it to you. perhaps, by the use of
familiar illustration Let us suppose
that you. in Winona, own a COW, and
that each of dozen of your neighbors
own one. These cows have to be driven
daily to and from the pasture. But in
stead of each owner hiring boy to per,
form that task separately, for the sake
of economy and convenience you all
combine to employ one boy, who can
Just as well tend dozen cows as sin
gle animal. Now that is precisely what
in principle we of the associated logging
operations do. For the sake of convent
ence and ecenomy-and it is iustitiabie
in every detail-we combine to act Jointly
in getting our logs into the streams, float
ing them down to the booms. and other,
wise handling them while in transit, Just
what each firm was formerly wont to do
| on its own account at a much greater
cost of time and money than is now found
| to be necessary. Look, for example, at
these Beef slough bOOms and the conven-
fence which they provide No one firm
| could afford to make the investment neces-
/ sary to their construction or operation.
| But dozen, or 10, or 90, uniting to do
so, FIND the burden comparatively light,
| while each member of the organization
derives about as much benefit as if he
were the sole owner. 1t is an economy
of effort and expenditure that inures
| directly to the advantage of the consumer,
for, depend upon it. if each msnufac>
turer had to bear all the expense of hand
ling his logs as they are now handled, he
would of necessity be compelled to add
much the larger part OF it to the price of
bis lumber. This is so plain that no bus
mess man, even with the most limited ex'
perience, can fail to see how it operates
But, mind you, when the logs whose cost
is thus chespened by associated effort are
delivered at the mills, all combination
ceases, and the rivalry between the va
rious manufacturers begins. You SEE
this illustrated in your own city of Wi
mona. Your neighbors, Messrs. Youmans
Bros & Hodkius, the Laird Norton com
pany. Mr.. Horton, of the Empire com,
pauy, and Messrs. Hamilton and Hayes
of the Winona Lumber company, work to-
gether up here, and wisely so, but once il
their own mills they become active com
petitors one with the other. Each concerI
cuts all the lumber it can possibly fine
sale for, each on its own accoun
reaches out into the country for
market, and each gets the best pric
that it can for its product. Betwee
them as related one to another, and be
tween each of them and the consumer
there is absolute freedom of trade s
it is with us at Rock Island and Daven
port and so all along the river. No,
where is the trust you hear talked of? O
course it is an absurdity to say that on
furious to the lumber interest to form
trust, and for one should be opposed t
it if the suggestion should ever b
made"
"As regards that story of our purchss
of all the timber north of Minneapolis
] continued Mr.. Weyerhauser, "it is pu
invention. There are men up there VII
have stumpage to sell, it is true, and som
of them know how to give increased ten
porary value to their property by clever
devised rumors, but so far as | am CO
cerned nothing was ever said by me abo
investing there until | had occasion
deny the published statement that W
about to gobble up the entire upr
Mississippi country at single oper
ton"
What is the condition of things in t
Chippewa region now as compared wi
the period when your logging associ
: tions were formedH"
"Well, that question may be answer
Y briefly so as to tell the whole sto
When we organized for mutual cooper
ton, stumpage was selling for 81 |
thousand feet. 1t now ranges from
to 81. Logs on the bank could be pl
chased for 81 to SIS. They are n
worth SS to $9-while meantime the m
ket price of manufactured lumber
largely declined. Then the thousands
employees in the woods, on the streaI
w and in the mills were paid largely
store orders and at irregular intervs
Now they are paid In cash and with
failing promptness at stated intervs
The growth of Improvement in ev
branch of business through all the lum
n region has kept pace with the change
the conditions of the lumber trade. Nj
on this point need not be raid"
A Veteran Gone.
Mrs. Nj. NJ. Corbett has returned Fl
Manchester, Iowa, where she was 81