West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1894-11-01
FREE LUMBER AGAINST PROTEC.
TED LUMBER.

We clip the following from the North
western Lumberman, October 9th and
18th, the best authority extant for facts
in regard TO the lumber interests OF
Canada and the great northwest, and
recognized 10y all as a radical Repub,i-
can Journal 80 far rs politics are CON
ccrnei The following was edited for
the LumOerman 10y Johu H. Williams,
who has made a thorough investigation
since the passage of the Wilson bin.
CANADIAN WAGES
The going wages, AS near rs can bc
determined run about as follows:
Choppers and teamsters, ga to $16 a
month, and board.
Rousta bouts, from 90 cents to 81
day
Ed yermeu. Sl.50 day.
Band sawyers, 81 30 70 50 a day.
FiierS, S5 and less a day.
Pliers, 81 so "A day.
One old lum herman at Ottawa told
me that exclusive of loren his mill
crew would average bout IS "a week
distinct fact To Oe considered i'm this
connection by American" manufac-
turers, however. is that Canadian mills
are run with less scrupulOus regard to
economy in handling stuff after pass.
ing the saws and that the men who do
the work, IL a trifle underpaid. do IL
with less intelligent heed OF results
and 10 may, there fore. Toe possible that,
jud Eed Ivy such results, they are as
well paid IL not better than men in the
northwestern states
COST on PRODUCTION.
The cost OF production of lumber in
Canada is only slightly, il any, less
tnan in the northwestern states II is
also made clearly apparent that the
few new plants contemplated will
largely be mere substitutes for mills
disnantled on account of denudatiou in
the northwest, ana this cuts little hg-
IRE as n means OF actually increasing
the supply OF the past
MINERS SCARCE.
Men are said To toe scarce on the Mes.
aba iron range. 80 many miners have
gone into the woods TO work. a like
condition prevails in the mining region
of the upper Michigan peninsula, where
IL is stated. good woodsmen command
$50 month, which is considerable
more than wages last year. Last win
ter great distress prevailed in the mi
ming region because Of "A lack of work,
and thousands were supported by char
ity, the state authorities of Michigan
aud Wisconsin having carried on relief
work extensively. This sea ION "a re-
versal of conditions seems likely To
prevail
ENTIRE CANADIAN PRODUCT.
OF white and norway pine lumber
manu- 'acturcd from crown lands in the
provinces of Ontario, official statistics
show the entire cut for the year ending
June, 1898. to have teen G17, 525 600 feet
and i'm Quebec 37S, 3J1 OJD feet, while
there was exported into the United
States from both provinces during the
same period TI5,1i0,O feet 1t is the
opinion of the best informed of Can
adam mill men, in which | fully CON
cur, that the new mills 20 oe csta blish-
ed a a direct result - tariff legislation.
VII be few and far between. The
bulk Of the Canad an product has here
tofore been shipped 90 the eastern
states, and, as one veteran operator at
Ottawa expressed IL: I'VE can do no
more now" In view OF these facts and
the more distinctly comparative IN,
that the entire Canadian exports OF
pine LUMBER into the United States
have all told Teen less than one-half
the volume Of lumber handled in the
city Of Chicago alone, what is the one
unavOida ole conclusion ? The answer
is this, i'm a very few words: There /.
nothing in the present situation 80 far
AS yet investigated, to warrant any
serious disturbance OF lumber values
anywhere IN To-" United States
This conclusion does not affect the
abstract principle OF protection where
any exists, but il simply demonstrates
and clearly enough, that we have all
lcen overestinaiirg the Importance OF
Canadian lumber as IA source OF com
petition.