The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1894-04-20
SHELTON MASON COUNTY, WASHINGTON FRIDAY APRIL 20 1884,
Washington Lumber.

company, who has just returned from
trip to California, made a thorough
investigation while there, of the lum-
Der interest of that state, and the pros.
poets of the extension of Puget Sound
business in that direction.
"The outlook a. regards Puget Sound
lumber" said he "is not very encour-
aging, and yet the prospects are not
quite so hopeless as they seemed sever
al months ago. For some time prior
to the opening of the present year
comparatively little fir lumber was sold
in California. The retail demand was
light, and the dealers only bought what
they absolutely required to carry on
business at all. The consequence was,
that by the first of the year, the lum-
Der yards throughout the state were
carrying a limited supply. Since
then money has become little easier
and they have been buying some lum-
Der from the Sound with which to sort
up their stocks. Prices, however are
low, and equally unsatisfactory to
manufacturers and retail dealers.
"The consumption of lumber is still
small, except in Southern California
where there has been and now is, con-
siderable building going on, but with
the present low prices the business is
profitable neither to the mills nor the
retail dealers. What is more, it can
not be unless some arrangement is ef-
fected among the mills, whereby the
price of fir lumber, in the California
market can be fixed at a figure that
will enable the manufacturers to rea-
lie at least small profit on their cut,
The redwood manufacturers have ef-
fected such an arrangement, and as
consequence the price of that wood
has been advanced two dollars thous-
and. Before this understanding, red
wood was being cut at an actual loss
to the mills. The prospects of effect
ing like result as regards fir lumber
2e at present not good.
"Why so? Because the conditions
are not the same. The redwood busi-
ness il controlled by a comparatively
small number of mills. Redwood
grows only in California, and both the
timber lands and mills are owned by
a few corporations whose interests are
much the same, which permits them
to come to some understanding.
"In the case of fir lumber the area
of timber lands is much greater, en-
bracing az it does, the states of Ore
gon and Washington, and also the
western part of British Columbia.
The number of mills is large, their in
terests are not the same and the field
of operation is scattered. Then again,
the Wilson bill is q menace to the
manufacturers of both Oregon and
Washington, but does not affect the
redwood business, for the evident rea-
son that neither of these states pro-
duce that wood. The British Colum-
bia mills have already taken a large
part of the foreign trade from our
mills. If lumber is placed on the
free list, they will become powerful
and successful competitors for both
the eastern and western trade.
Concerning the difference of the
cost of manufacture between the mills
of Washington and British Columbia,
Mr.. Eaton said: "Under present con-
ditions our mills cannot manufacture
as cheaply as the British Columbia
mills. The cost of labor at the mills,
and the price of logs is less in British
Columbia than with us. I think we
can successfully compete with their
labor, in the mills, and even if we
pay slightly higher wages, l believe we
have, as rule, a better and more eff
cient class of workmen."
"The difficulty in relation to the
price of logs is a more serious one.
The British Columbia mills are buy
ing their logs at much less than the
average price of logs on Puget Sound,
and so long as so great a difference
exists, don't see how our mills can
successfully compete with those OF
British Columbia. I think our log
gers should face these conditions and
study how they can reduce the price
of logs on the Sound. Unless such a
remedy is found, the mills will either
have to do their own, logging, or 60
out of the shipping business. AS the
entire cost of logs, (with the excep-
ton of a small amount paid for STUN,
page and interest on the capital in
yested) is made up of labor, and as
the price of labor, under present con-
ditions, is much less than it has beer
heretofore, it would seem that the
price of logs should be materially
modified. d."-Olympian.