The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1894-08-17
The Worlds Lumber Market.

4
department the country has placed bt
fore it adjudication containln. report
of our consuls all over the world, re
garding the expectation and sale c
United States lumber. Perhaps non
of the series of consular reports whic
have been issued in the last two wear
has more Importance than this bro
chure. 1t directs attention to one G
the products which is easiest for TIL
United states to make staple of, an,
which other countries cannot appear
emily produce as rapidly. Perhaps n
land except Russia can possibly yiel
enough lnmber in any year of the fu
ture to appear in the market as riva
OF the United States. There are mil
lions OF acres of tropical land whicl
might, and to SOME extent, do produc,
lumber. Yet that is the source dis
tinctively of hardwood lumber. @
the softer kinds, the cheaper, when il
Is in marketable form, the tropics
have none. Indeed, as the report.
which are at hand show, there is :
large and constantly widening demand
for ordinary workable lumber, fit foI
building in the land where hard lum
Der is most plentiful. So it remain,
for few countries, the United States
Russia, Sweden and Norway, to cap
sure the markets of the world for this
articles of commerce. Among THESE
three the race is to be won by the
swiftest, and at present the United
States has long start.
The United States sends wood pro
ducts in on form or another to every
country on the globe. In many lands
our shippers practically control the
trade. Nearly every foot of building
timber used in Africa comes from the
United States. that especially being
true with reference to South Africa
Japan buys in considerable quantities
and none other is bought and sold in
South American countries. Brazil
took over half million dallars worth
of boards, joists and planks last year
Lumber is greatly needed on the Paci-
fic island, and Washington fir is worth
a high price all the way from Austria
liza to Honolulu. AS many as $4,000
600 feet OF our lumber find its way
into the Sandwich islands annually
Australia buys 81 100000 worth every
year, Cuba, on the other side, imports
fully as much. Quantities of the lum.
Der of Washington and Oregon are
sent to England too. The states Of
Maine and North Carolina export large
cargoes to the ports of Spain and
to the Madeira islands, Canada is
our rival in some of these markets
but, as rule, no competitor is ever
present. England Russia and Ger
many want share of the market, but
for all of their strivings to secure it
the fir and redwood of the pacific coast
maintain a firm hold Of the market.
In nearly every case of large imports
of American lumber, the purpose of
the importer is to build with it.
Stone is now the general article used
for building throughout the world, but
where it is possible to get wood at a
reasonable price, there is a great de-
mand for that material. The rapidity
with which buildings and whole towns
can be erected of wood is and advan-
tage, not to consider the diminution
in the cost of labor in building. which
is also strong point in it's favor.
Doubtless critics will be ready to
show that wood can never dislodge
stone as a building material. They
will also, perhaps, ask why trade in
lumber should be built up to fall off
as soon as the localities where it is
now called for can manage to build OF
stone. There are two answers to thi S
criticism in the reports of the state
department. One is that in some
regions it is more convenient to build
with wood than to procure stone
The other reason presents itself in the
information here collected to show
that where the world now uses stone;
wood is creeping into play to give a
softer character and quality of lux
ury to the interiors of stone buildings.
Our consuls appear to have been struck
everywhere with the markets that ex-
lists for it, both as means to the high
er enjoyment of life and as commod-
ity which takes the place of stone
material not easily worked into suit
able form for use by some people
! They affirm again and again in these
reports that if only the shippers from
the United States will cheaper the
export price on building lumber, the
retprn received in the shape of an in
creased trade of permanent value VIII
be we'll worth the pains.