The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-11-30
THE STATE HIT HARD.
Deadly Blows Struck at Wash
ington by Wilson's Bill
IT'S CHIEF INDUSTRIES AssAILED.


ee-a,ic raefnbers OF The ways and means
committee was the general subject OF dis
cnssion in the city YESTERDAY, and rs pro-
visions were condemned on al sides 40
striking deadly blow a. the principal III
dussries of Washington. An analysis oil
then, shows that the bib, If IL should ever
become law, would throw the coal miners
OF this state into direct competition Win
the Chinese and japanese OF BRITISH
Columbia; would open the Eastern mar
kess TO the great untouched belts OF cedar
and FIR in that proyince and TO the white
pine Of the Eastern provinces. bringing
them into direct competition With the Just
reyiving lnmoer and shingss industry OF
Puget sound; would force the wool growers
OF Eastern Washington 10 compete with a
delugs OF imported wool from Aus
tralia. South Africa and Asia; would
dash the last hope Of the development Of
the great deposits Of iron ore found IN this
state by letting in the more accessible ores
of British Columbia and Hood of pig and
finished iron from Great Britain These
are only the principal industries which
could not be carried on ~ profit
ungess the cost of production is immensely
reduced, which means a radical reduction
IN the wages Of the labor employed in
them.
The lumber industry. which Is the
largest in the state. employing SO mills
and many thousand men. would receive
direct blow. British Columbia has great
untouched belts OF cedar and FIR close 10
salt water and the streams, from which
logs could be pu. on the market much
cheauer than on the Sound. where the
Iumbermen have 10 60 farther back from
the water for logs. and al an advantage
OF So a thousand feet over what
they have now. These logs could
be sawed aud shipped East In COM
petition with the product Of the Puget
sound mills. while the latter could not
ship into Canada. Another element OF
competition which would be created by
the bill 10 pointed out by w. II. Weldon.
president of the Seattle Cedar Lumber
Company. who said:
logs are now towed a-ross the Great
Lakes from Canada and sawed NJ the mills
on the American SIDE but II the tariff on
finished lumber were removed these mill
men would remove their mills to the
Canadian side and saw the logs there, for
they would save the cost and risk OF tow
ing. With the present tariff OF & a thou
sand feet il pays better TO saw the logs on
this side This IL likely TO cause reduc-
ern markets. and cedar and fir must fol-
low"
The coal Of Puget sound obtains entrance
to the California market only by the aid of
the tariff of rs cents a ton on foreign
bituminous coal. Without this Ii would
be driven out by the coal of British Column
bis and Australia, the former produced by
the cheap labor of japanese and Chinese
miners, and even now il has q hard strug-
gle, and the Seattle Coal and Iron Com
pany has found it advisable to Withdraw
from the California market altogether.
There is one way in which this competition
can be successfully mes--by reducing the
wages of those employed in producing
Washington coal. or the effects of remoy-
ing the duty c. J. Smith. general manager
of the Oregon Improvement Company,
said:
1.-THE local market, so far as King county
Is concerned, does not take over 3 per
cent. OF the coal mined: the balance goes
to San Francisco and other California
points. where II comes in competition di-
rectIy with foreign coal. While IL is
hardly probable that under the existing
circumstances foreign coal could be placed
here in successful competition, the rates
received for the coal shipped to San Fran
cisco and other like points on the Coast
nt,k nc EIuuIrd cents per ton. or
even hall that amount. and present prices
for mining be maintained. As this would
effect - per cent. OF the product IL is very
doubtful. IL this proportion OF the output
were lost or materially affected, whether
the mines here could continue TO OPP
crate"
Tho difficulty in the way OF the develop
men. OF the iron and steel industry on
Puget sound has been that ore could be
found In more accessible places In British
Columbia to compete with the ores of this
state, and the wheat ships bring over from
England and Scotland great quantities of
pig iron IN ballast. In spite OF these OBJ
stscles the final establishment of the iron
industry on the Sound was already In
sight, and was question of but few
months. bat now the prospect of further
redaction in the tariff ON foreign pig iron
and 6f the total removal OF the duty on
foreign ores takes away the inducement
for the Development of the mines ana the
smelling OF the ores in this section. On
this subject Judge II. q. Bond Is in a posi-
xtion TO speak with knowledge, and he
said:
Il think this bill will be absolutely pro-
hlbitofy on the development OF the iron
business on the Sound. A grea. deal of
iron ore, as | am informed, can he had in
British Columbia that Is located close TO
the water aud can he mined there and de-
ivered here cheaper than any ore that we
have vet found in this state Ut equal quail
ity. The best ores Ne have here viii IN
voivr considerable expense 20 reach them.
aud lien They are reached the Transport
tsnoR ot them 20 the place of conSump-
ton Will be attended With greater expense
than the ores of British Columbia, which
can he brought hy water at less rate OF
freight believe that manufactured iron
can tie brought here ia ballast from Tor.
e4sn countries in the ships that come tn
remove cur grain at price that wlli re
pEohihitoFy to any manufacturer OF iron
tn this state. This is the case with both
pig iron and iron In more advanced state
ot manufacture.
II think also that the bill will tie a very
serious injury ~ all of our coal Interests,
tyr tsle reason that the coal in British Co
IuIna1a - IN some respects superior 80 the
eosi sc mine here. particularly tor steam
purposes. aud can lie mined by the Cheap
sasor 81 Chinese and japanese. IL Viii
compel the coal miners cf tAts state -
either saut up EhClF A5nes or reduce the
price of labor very materially. The same
objection a. 80 labor aoaId ARMY 10 our
production III lun4her.
1T seems % nae that II this tariH bill -
presented becomes lsw II NEST affect So
rlouSiy every vital interest uran which Ne
IS people nov rely for the employment
81 our capital and labor. ! thiuk the p~,s-
pc Of Washington eaget 10 10 What shcy
can - influence congress 10 defeat the
passage ~ thai lsS as framed. | believe
iEs adoption means financial dezola-
ts0a to This state leng as Il
NAV remain Ia force. The h.lI
secnis - have bcea drawn for potttieaa