The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1896-04-04
An OBJECT LESSON.

The location of The Dalles, practi-
cally at the head of navigation on the
Columbia river. should give it prece-
dence over all other places in Eastern
Oregon as shipping point, especially
for wool and wheat, but Pendleton is
developing into a most formidable
competitor in handling wool, simply
| by overcoming the disadvantages
under which it is placed in the way of
location, and will this year probably
handle as much, or possibly more wool
than will The Dulles. The reason OF
this is fully explained by the follow
ing interview had by an East Oregon
i'm reporter with T. E. Fell, manager
of the Pendleton Wool Securing &
Packing Company:
"Why is it that large amounts of
wool are shipped to Pendleton each
year, from Elgin, Baker City, Hunt
ington and Heppner?
''Simply for the reason that we can
place wool on the eastern market, or
deliver to mills direct from here, in
Guiding freight from the points named
t, Pendleton, cheaper than it can be
shipped direct from any other place in
the state.
"Do you mean you can ship wool
from Pendleton east, at lower rate
80 f,o; .b+ tb,r f,o,,, Tho la11oc ,rbaro
theg have water competition?"
1--WE cannot ship at lower rate per
hundred pounds, but we incur a lower
freight bill against the actual amount
OF wool shipped"
Chow do you explain this?"
"Well, take for instance the ship
me1t of 1000 pounds of grease wool,
shrinking 20 per cent. The tariff rate
from The Dalles to Boston is Sl.25 per
100 pounds in bales. This makes the
cost $3.50 on the thousand pounds.
All eastern securing mills charge the
same as we do for securing, which is
one cent per pound, this is $40 more
against the wool, making total of
$3.50.
Snow figure shipment from any of
the above named points via Pendleton.
The local rate is 25 cents per 100 pounds,
or ESQ per 1000. Securing, 1000 pounds
$40, this makes $3.50 charged against
the wool here. Now reduce the weight
of the shipment by securing out seven
hundred pounds of grease and dirt so,
instead of having to ship gross weight
of 1000 pounds, we ship but 300 pounds
of clean wool, upon which the freight
from Pendleton to Boston is $3.50 per
100 pounds or 81 80 for the lot. Now
add up, two-ifty, ten and seven-ffty,
this makes $40. the total cost against
the shipment, or $3.50 less than the
tariff rate from The DalIes. These
may be taken as correct figures. If
the tariff is cut from The Dalles, by
water competition, below the present
low figure. the railroads will promptly
meet it by a proportionate reduction
here.
''The cost of securing need not enter
into relative calculations, as the wool |
has to be secured before using, and |
the cost is the same east or west.
II then understand that the freight |
on a shipment of thousand |
pounds from Baker City to Boston via |
secured in transit, is just |
one cent per pound. if the wool is a
sort which shrinks 10 per cent. Now
what would it be if shipped directly
from there in sacks?"
zone dollar and ninety cents per 100
is tariff, nearly double the cost in
CURED on woods we handle. As many
woods shrink over 10 per, we save
fully cent per pound by securing the
aveaage. On light wool shrinking say
56 per cent we would save 80 cents per
100 pounds on grease weight. You
may say we have water competition
here, that is, soap and water"
This is an object lesson from wtie6
Th' Dalles may we'll profit. Were
here securing plant established here,
,hereis DO reason why every pound of
vol raised in Gillian, Sherman,
Grant and Crook counties and large
mount of that produced in Lake and
klamath should not come to this mar
ret, as we'll as all of the wool produced
within u radius of one hundred miles
o the north in the state of Washing
on. The market where the best pr ices
prevail is the one which the producer
will seek, therefore if The Dalles is to
emain the great wool market of Ore
ron, something more than cheap trans
rates must be offered. A
vool securing plant is one of the me-
essities. 1t is an industry that must
,e established in order to hold the
rade of the surrounding country.
1