The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-03-21
THE LUMBER TRADE
Activity Is Reviving, bnt With
Low Prices.
SHINGLES STILL ~ THE DUMPS.


The excepftcnzIfy nns weather thar has
cwsyalted since the frst Of the year hax
materially advanced the season for os,er,-
ing tine numbering industry on rsse Sound.
and mills Of all sizes and descriptions.
fncIudlag logging camps. are opened and
xsaerAlIy running fait time ali Of which
Eouid Indicate a general revival of basi-
ness In this important industry. visit
% the varsoas important mills and log
ring camps and a comparing OF notes
krczn the prcprtetors Shows that, though
many men have thus found ernpsoyuse~st.
yet the trade itself is In no sense boom
in1, the fact being thss owing 20 the Large
rumoer 81 mills and the continued iow
prsrss. the business has 70 be done on the
closes: POSSIBLE margin: ard though all
the mills on the Sound are apparently
busy. they are working on prices 20 low
a. rot 20 warrant figure exceeding A5a
1 sisoasand for usercaanta BILE ftrl logs. There
d Z healthy undeFrurTent of confidence II,
all quarters and. az ig usual In the spring
the trade In general II increasing IN all
markets. Mills az a rule have pisnty OF
orders on their books, taken at fsxeA
prices. though In xhe mAAn lower than
they we're q year ago. Nevertheless the
nsllrnen all feel confident that the ten
deney is slightly upward. The situation
n fairly well sized up by A. II. Anderson,
who represents a number Of logging
camps. He sayss
mir. Fred Drew. OF the Puget Sound
Mi Company, a gentleman who Is re-
enrded ~ one Of the most competent
authorities on the export OF California
trade told men that from carefully eon-
pissd statistics the outlook was about the
zane - 1, was last year. Relative TO the
trade east OF the mountains. that u. In
the Middle West. have received letters
fyvn prominent iunbermen In the East
and all say that the cut this coming saw
ing season will be extraordinarily large,
ewing 20 the fact that the great lumber
tng concerns had 50 much timber scorched
In the fires OF last summer tina. white
prices 80 low as TO practically exclude a
reasonable share Of our own product"
The Orders Already Placed.
This Is the time of year when Eastern
lumbernien begin to place their orders on
fhe sound Some have aiready done 40
and that OF course II encouraging TO some
extent. but many more are 90 be heard
nom. whose delay In attributed to the Sc
verify or the winter throughout the East
the local demand has been quite active
owing 10 the good weather people with
money taking advantage OF the low rates
% wages, lumber and material, The for
eign trade also h active ard so far this
month the following schooners were sent
away to California by the Stimscn Nil.
company: Pioneer, $4,000 feet. f.haI.
lenger. sst 900 feet: Ethel zane, aa5. 900 feet.
and the Salvador 30. 90 feet. The scsaoon-
e- William Renton L. finishing loading
sSo.0a feet and will saii next Saturday for
Newport. The same firm has orders for
50 cars OF lumber and shingles for East
ern points. These and other similar ship
4Skext1 ryx-FA 81 -
hermen that notwithstanding the general
lard times. Puget Sound lumber Is being
sought after and there fs a steady In
crease In the demand from all the mar
kets, California, Eastern and export
One of the best evidences OF a stronger
market Is found In the fact that maIlfnen
find themselves able at the present time
TO turn down a low priced order where
up TO date they never had the heart sc re-
fpse anything In the shape OF an order.
This course. the n,illmen claim. VIII be the
ehts way To hold the market. II II were
pursued by all mills, the same orders
would return at the regular prices and
Asfe would be no need for any combine
Another good Indication in the trade to-
day IL found In the fact that mixed or
ders are coming In very beautifully: that
u. orders OF car lots. made up of shingles.
ctdar bevelied siding. three or four kinds
=.
This INDICATES a desire TO try Puget Sound
goois In many grades. where formerly
the buyer seemed to- think that cedar
shingles were the only thing ne could Re;
IN this country. The results have been
that the contents OF such car please the
buyer. as they certainly must IL well
manufactured. and IL converts him to Pu-
Set Sound lumber right there and then
This conversion Is said to be going on
right along.
Effect of burlington Connection.
The lumber interest or the Sound has
ncen materially advanced by the recent
opening or the burlington road from Ril-
nhgs on the Northern Pacific road. to
DISTRIBUTING points ia Iowa. Nebraska and
ha'isas. In other words. II saves a local
expense and gives the Sound shippers a
through rate and enables them to com
pete fairly with Eastern pine The ART
also OF the Great Northern road I'm re,f,,>
.hg Tho minimum weight from si.eao to
-,ss pounds for Ss-foot cars gives tha,
SHIPPER The benefit OF more undcrweight.
lhese arr two important features that
sa materially In che trade and though It
eecs nor create as vet n greater demand.
u gives ihe Puget Sound shipper the adj
vantage % competing I'm the Eastern
markets
Fhe prices on Shingles remain ahou, "A
usual. namely, 81 cents ard Sfia and
s'sing M the situation generally. |, Is
safe 10 say that the demand for shingles
u only fair. There are many shingla
nilils new running and the great number
TENDS sometimes to the belief that the
business IS In a measure overysane. This
w denied by many, though the fact re-
mains ihas At certain times 81 the year
the output ts much greater than the de-
msnd, and also that there Is plenty OF
room Ter much better prices, One az the
evils from which legitimate Manufacture
efs are uev suffering is the spurious price
vi dead. the irresponsible fellow Who
sends out i=gs ohfersass 20 deliver shingles
~ Prices at which they cannot possibly
n bought, II ne pscurez an order he niis
~ hook or ~ creok by securing tia
sh'HSles on credit and heating tire manu-
fs>fpCpr. or he sends an inferior grade
% goods and secures "damning' Ser
himself and tho whole Puget Soend fra
lsrni's ite is a parasite Oh the trade
and sine ai0nc can XIII him. Aside from
his PREV suiug evil there Is ittie or no
raHnsv 81 she shingle business and there
VIII u0t be until there IS general re-
vivai o; business. which will bring with
X an Increase demand for shingles sud
a corresponding stiFeniug Of prices. II ls
safe - say. however. that fancy prices
WI never IS an prevail
Longing Camps Opening.
The Soa, weather has has,esass. the
ocensaG - many loestng camps. The
Sitn1Ss'n camp in Snohom1Sh county. near
asrysV.1e, VAS opened iu fun Lass month
ana Row rams ri0s;y mar, This camp
kcfns ne tNo Ss{ns~on mills 80 rAliars.
siEF'}'e3 MARY new camps have hsseH
StaFft3 along the Sound. bur freu TIRE
very low prizes pysV ssl'ug Il IL problem
E.tTs- ~
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