Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1894-11-02
FACTS ABOUT LUMBER.
THE GRlGGS INTERVIEW A CON-
PlETE "FAKE-'
Only Campaign Trick-NO Dif-
terence in the Price Of Logs
COIum bia-Puget Sound has Ad.

Highest Wages Paid In British
COIumbia-PugetS Sound has Ad-
vantages.
The TelegraphS correspondent at
Tacoma, has interviewed p. A. Paul
son-a staunch Protectionist and ar
dent Republican, by the way-who
has this to say of the statement at
tributed to Chancey w. Griggs, by the
Republican press few days ago:
al have read the Griggs interview
and | can say the Colonel is very
much mistaken i'm some statements.
| don't know as care to make any
statement that would tend to con-
tradict him, or the impression that
prevails here on the Sound that British
Columbia mills will be able to under
sell the mills here under the new
tariff, as it is, perhaps, very good
campaign material. am a Republi-
can, and pretty strong p:otectionist
at that, but think enough might be
said in favor of protective tariff
without resorting to misstatements.
| believe in looking at things just as
they are; there is no need OF enlarg-
ing upon them or in making state.
ments that cannot be verified by in
vestigation, when British Columbia is
so near at hand.
"In the first place logs have been
on the free list for years. There was
no duty on logs brought here from
British Columbia under the Mckinley
act, neither is there any duty on fir,
spruce or cedar logs in Canada brought
over there from the United States.
l have bought logs in British Column
bia and brought them over here and
sawed them into lumber here. Like
wise, my firm is now and has in times
past purchased logs at various places
on Puget Sound, taken them to British
Columbia, and sawed them into lum-
Der there. There is practically no
difference in the price of logs. British
Columbia mills would not come here
to purchase logs if they had to pay
more than at home, and vice versa. l
know of one mill in British Columbia
that purchased about five million feet
in the Skagit and Snohomish rivers
the past summer. They would not do
that ii labor was so much cheaper at
their home than here. The fact Of
the matter is, some of the press
throughout this State has OF late been
full of misstatements relating to the
effect this British Columbia free lum-
Der is going to have on our market.
can see no cause for alarming our
people on this side; or keeping capital
! out of investing in our timber lands
or mills. by advertising to the world
that our lumber industries are no
longer valuable.
81 explained to you a moment ago
that logs were the same price in
British Columbia that they are here,
but some may say that timber is
cheaper in British Columbia than
here. That is not 30.
"A few years ago the mills acquired
in some instances large holdings Of
timber leases from the government of
British Columbia, but they all had to
pay for obtaining them, aud have
since, and are now, paying a yearly
rental for them, and besides, when
they cut the timber they have to pay
the crown or government SO cents per
1000 feet stumpage. l don't see
where this is any cheaper than Col
onel Griggs' timber. l understand
that he is getting his timber from the
Northern Pacific railroad for so cents
per thousand.
"In regard to labor, Colonel Griggs
states in his interview that British Co
lumbia mills get labor for IS cents per
day. I will wager that am paying
higher wages to-day in my mill in
Victoria, on an average than Colonel
Griggs is paying in his mill, or that
laborers to-day in British Columbia
are better paid than laborers on the
Sound. l know of no instance in any
British Columbia mill where China
men are being hired for IS cents per
day. AS q matter. of fact, very few
Cinnamon are employed in any of the
mills of British Columbia. Invaria-
bly, always, white men are employed
in the mills at higher wages per day
than are paid IN this State.
"We pay from SLIGO, the lowest, up
to 50 per day for common labor in our
mill. OF course sawyers, engineers,
filers, ETC., get higher wages than the
laborers. We are paying no more
than any other mills there. In log
ging camps the wages are higher than
in Washington. am operating
logging camp and paying one-third
more wages than is paid in the logging
camps on the Sound.
"There is also much greater ex-
pense attached to operating logging
camps or mills in British Columbia
than here. At least three-fourths OF
supplies used in camps and mills
come from this side. Our hay, grain,
flour and vegetables come mostly from
this side, and the British Columbia
purchaser pay high Canadian duty
before it is allowed to enter. Hay is
subject to 81 per ton Canadian duty i;
flour, oats, chopped feed. ETC., 20 per
cent. ad valorem duty. Vegetables
and fruits, eggs. cheese, ETC., are all
subject to duty. Consequently it costs
the logger and millmen more to board
their men. Right here you do not
want to forget that British Columbia
. is one OF the markets the State oi