The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-03-22
CHEATING UNCLE SAM,
And Making Things Unpleasant for
Kennebec Lumbermen.
How our Provincial Neighbors Evade
the Customs Laws.
Maine interests at Stake and Their
Promoters Aroused.


AUGUSTA, March 21.-For some time past
1t has been known to Kennebec lumbermen,
SO it is authoritatiyely learned today, that
gigantic frauds were being perpetated upon
the government by certain lumbermen doing
business along the New Brunswick border,
by system of evading the duty on manufac-
tured lumber shipped into the United States.
This matter has become one of great moment
t. the lumbermen of the Kennebec valley,
and at the last meeting of the Kennebec Log
Driving Company 1t was discussed at consid-
erable length. Last fall, a special. agent OF
the treasury department, with an assistant,
was dispatched to the Maine and New Bruins
wick line from Washington. and the log
driving company appropriated $500 to be em-
ployed in defraying the expenses of a lawyer
to support the agent in his efforts to investi-
gate the crookedness and root it out. One of
the most extensive lumber operators on the
Kennebec, well known gentleman Of this
city, has recently made two trips to Wash
ington, and visited the treasury department
each time, to secure remedial measures if
possible. In addition to this, Congressman
MiIliken is doing all in his power to bring
about an observance of the law and prevent
further infringement.
A prominent lumberman interested in a
Kennebec saw mill and who has logging
crews at the headwaters of the river, said
this afternoon, "This fraud upon the govern
ment is perpetrated under the law OF the
United States, which gives the operator the
p rivilege of cutting logs in the Maine for
ests driving them into New Brunswick wa
ters, saving them in New Brunswick mills
and re shipping them again into the States,
free of duty. The lumbermen will cut
small portion, say tenth of their logs In
Maine and the large bulk in New Bruns-
wick forests; then manufacture them in
Province mills and ship the whole through
to the States as lumber cut in Maine, ana
this is done without paying the duty: Thls
is practiced very largely on the st. John
river W hich rises in the northern part Of
Maine afterwards flowing through New
Brunswick for long:distance. The cut on
both sides of the line is run down the river
as Maine logs The duty duty is Ia W per M.' and
numbering and wages being SO
much lower in the Provinces than in Maine.
the Kenebec lumberlnan finds 1T uphill busl-
ness when he offers his lumber for sale.
When we enter the great markets OF Boston
and New York, we are met by competition
from these shippers of free lumber in the
Province of New Brunswick, and we are
obliged to cut prices lower than we can af-
ford to. One of the largest lumber commis-
sion men of New York told me recently that
he never paid any duty on st. John lumber.
Another evidence that the duty is evaded
is, that while Nova Scotia can furnish an
abundance of first-class lumber, being well
wooded, none is shipped to the States to
speak Of. A few years ago, two hundred
million feet of deals were shipped to Eng
land annually from New Brunswick. Re-
Gently the bulk of this trade, has
changed and large quantities of deals are
shipped from the Baltic to England.
Thus the only outlet remaining for the New
Brunswick product is the United States.
What we want is a law which shall prevent
all shipments of manufactured lumber into
the United States without the payment of
the duty. We do not expect to obtain this,
however"
This gentleman said the agent of the treas
ury department who was investigating the
alleged frauds had received very. hard usage
from some of the mill people since he had
commenced his abors, being obstructed and
having things made unpleasant for him. The
gentleman estimated that over one hundred
million feet of lumber escaped the duty.