The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-10-27
CHINESE LUMBsE FROM CANADA.
workingmen Thinking About the Eject
of the HRYemerer Law.


TACOMA. Oct. 2-lspecial. Free lum-
Der and coal object lessons bother the
Democrats greatly. Since Col. Chauncey
W. Griggs has come TO the conclusion
mat little tariff on lumber is mighty
good thing. his Democratic friends are
trying TO soften the blow by stating that
be is getting ready TO reduce wages IN his
mills. Thus far there is no ground for this
statement but free trade may drive most
of the mills of the Sound TO reduce wages
in order TO keep running. So Tar as Ium-
Der Is concerned, there are three vital OBJ
jections to placing it on the free list, as the
Hayemeyer Law has done. These oolec-
tons are:
Because stumpage Is cheaper in British
Columb la than in this state.
Because more cheap labor is employed in
British Columbia than in this state.
Because the laws of the United states
prevent foreign bottoms or ships being
used TO carry lumber TO ports in this coun-
try, when loading in home ports.
As regards stumpsge, Chairman Drum.
of the Democratic state committee, and
part owner of a British Columbia saw MILL
claims that 1t is as cheap in this state as
in British Columbia. He is simply In
error. OF course there is stumpage in
British Columbia TO be had at so cents per
l, COO as il can be had in this state. but in
this state the same sort of stumpage that
can be had for so cents in British Columbia
will cost ST. The reason for this is that in
British Columbia a buyer of stumpage gets
the benefit of the pick of the choicest tim
Der standing. He can take this or that
fine patch of timber and leave all the bad
L A. H.. 49, 10
located on the streams and hear the water,
where no logging road is necessary to get
IL to the mill. while in this state he must
buy IN lump, taking the good with the
bad, hence il is that the so cent stumpage
of British Columbia is equivalent to 81
stumpage in this state, where expensive
logging roads have to be built to get at the
timber, which has to be taken as 1t is
found. good and bad alike.
As to cheap labor. there Is but one mill
on the Sound. so far as experts are aware.
that employs Chinese help in any depart
ment, and this one exception is at Port
Blakeley, where a Chinese cook is en-
ployed. Nowhere on Puget sound does
cheap Chinese and Japanese labor come in
competition, as yet, with white labor. In
British Columbia the shoe 10 on the other
foot.
President Hanson, OF the Tacoma mill
of this city. after lifetime spent in the
lumber business. says ii will be simply
impossible to compete with foreign bot.
toms on long haul, for instance. to the
Atlantic coast. The reason for this state
ment is the fact that foreign sailors and
officers who man most of the foreign ships
can be hired under contract at about 40
per cent. less than the American sailors
They live principally on cracked peas and
canned goods. while beefsteak and butter
is given TO the American sailors.
Col. Griggs is being upbraided by free
trade Democrats, and he now says he is
for free trade provided all manufactured
goods are on the free list, but he does not
want lumber free aud some other articles
protected.