The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-02-12

ASGDfdi1k 10 kue CeI3u1 Oh tce4g Soe num-
Der Of lumber establishments in California,
Washington and Oregon had increased
from SIS In fsao TO s3i in 1890. the capt.
tai iavested had increased from So 4s9. o43
in 1850 TO SO. s2I. 900 in 1890: the aggregate
value of products had increased from
ss,is I55 in 1880 to so ,4is, 5os IN 1890: the
number Of operatives had increased from
4,5i2 in 1880 TO i0oo2 in 1890 For the
whole country ths value Of the annual
product in 1880 was s233. 26s, TO, while In
1890 Ut had increased to $4os .G67 SIS, an in
crease in the output of $40. s9s, s2s, or 70
per cent.
For the whole country the number Of
operatives employed In these manufactnr-
ing establishments in 1880 was i47 ,95s.
and the number employed in 1890 was
2s5. i97. an increase of the number of peo-
pie furnished employment OF "a per cent.
The annual wages in this industry for
California. Oregon and Washington In
creased from 81 SIS. 40 in 1850 to 81, us. 467
in 1890, and for the whole country they
increased from s3i, 81. 974 in 1880 to $751;
7s4, 433 In 1880. The census tables show
that the increase in the number of opera
was "a per cent. that the increase in the
value Of the products Of their labor Cor
the same period Of time was - per cent,
and this statement now shows that the
aggregate wages paid in 1850 OF $3l. s45, s74
had Increased in 1890 to $s7, 7s4. 433, an In
crease in the total amount paid for wages
of SIS. 93s. 459. being nearly l76 per centum.
And yet this magnificent industry.
which has grown 50 rapidly in these ten
years, is TO be destroyed by the Wilson
tariff bill. In the Dominion the timber
lands are owned almost exclusively by the
government and the timber is disposed
OF by the sale of what Is known as con-
cessions for large tracts of timber lands.
known rs timber limits. These conces-
sions yield o moderate bonus to the
government at the time Of sale. and are
disposed Of on the condition that certain
amount of timber shall be cut each year;
that the taxes. which are merely nominal,
shall be paid by the concessionsirss, and
that after the timber Is cut the Canadian
government shall receive fixed price
per thousand feet. or o percentage on the
value Of the manufactured lumber. The
percentage 10 usually 8 per cent, and, a.
Stunning tho value Of the lumber at the
mill to be $40 per thousand feet, not
uncommon price for the stumpagc paid
the Dominion government is 30 cents per
thousand feet.
Men working in the mills in Canada are
paid much lower wages than IN the United
States. and are compelled to work greater
number of hours day. so that the cost of
producing lumber in Canada is less than
in the United States. Every dollars
worth of Canadian lumber coming into
this country is q blow to our laboring
men. Every dollars worth of labor which
comes into our markets in the way OF
manufactured inmber displaces a dollars
worth of labor which could have been en-
ployed in this country.
The importations of Canadian lumber
for the fiscal year 1888 in round numbers
were SO. ooo.0oo feet, board measure. To
manufacture 100000 feet of lumber re-
quires an equivalent of the labor of /, 500
operatives for one day, or the labor OF one
operative for 1890 days. During the past
fiscal year we have imported into the
United States. in the shape of Canadian
lumber. 5so.oo0 days work, and have thus
prevented the employment in the United
States of just that much labor
To place sawed lumber on the free list as
the Wilson tariff bill does is the surrender
of large and valuable industry to Can.
ada. To call sawed lumber raw material
Is absurd, the log is the raw material, and
logs have been FOR years admitted free of
duty. Thus one great industry of Wash
ington state gets black eye from the VIII
son tariff bal. In the matter of free coal
With present duty Of IS cents ton on btu
minous coal the American producer and
miner have never been sufficiently pro-
teeled.
Nova Scotia coal has always been burned
in New Eagland, and the British Columbia
and Australian mines have dominated the
Pacific coast trade and the California mar.
Sets. The passage OF the Wilson tariff
bill viii enable the Whitney Nova Scotia
syndicate TO market al their coal on the
Atlantic seaooard anu will aid LARGELY 10
the value OF the British Columbia mines
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