Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-10-16
FREE TRADE AND LUMBER
Something About the Closing
of Mills that Bryan Didn't
Notice

OF WlAdS LudI 0iJotl DlAAaS e.
Notice Z
The lusn Der business Ia the leading
industry OF Little Falls, and the
employment of most Of the work
ingmeh VI the city, and the conse-
quent prosperity OF our business
men depends upon the operation ot
the mills. The owners desire t. run
both u,ills day and night during the
whole season. They are now rum
ming but one mill, and running that
days only. The operation ot those
mills is one of the most Important
practical questions that our citizens
can eoneider. Ryan has heen here,
and told people how poor they were.
They would not be SO poor II 900 or
400 mOre men were getting wages
for working in the mills and yards
and ON the Blooms. The OwAers Oi
the mills are just az anxious to EN-,
ploy the men, as the men are to
work. But the conditions are such
that the owners are prevented from
employing them and the men are
prevented from finding en,t,doyment
here. Did Bryan give any reasons
that would start those mills II he
was elected? The owners of the
mills at Little Falls and other places
in Minnesota and Wisconsin have
given reasons why free trade and
the threat of free silver have com
PEELED the mills to close, and why
there liz future danger In the election
of Bryan. -.
Some time ago the board Of direc-
tors of the Mississippi Valley Lum-
berman's association issued an
address to the members OF the
association. The address revie we'd
the gcaaeral situa ton in their terri
tory, and in detail recited the great thy
reduced cut in all the lumber manu-
featuring towns and cities. After
the details OF closed mills and reduc-
ed cuts, the report closed as folio WIS:
From these reports, briefly epitonlized,
your board of directors are led to believe
that the Curtailment of production will
considerably exceed the 8 per cent, which
it was hoped at the beginning of the saw
ing season would be sufficient to remove
the surplus of lumber which has been
accommodating during the last four years,
and particularly that which accumulated
during the year 1895. It will be remember
ed that your board has before them
figures which showed large surplus on
hand at the end of the saving season of
1895. The oversupply at the end of last
season was about Is per cent. of the cut of
the mills in the territory of the MISSISSIPPI
pi Valley association, the Wisconsin
Valley association and at the head of
Lake Superior in the Duluth and Ashland
districts during the seasons of 1895. This
surplus was largely in the lake markets
and at points where the competition of
Canadian pine was most keenly felt, and
where it was undoubtedly largely respon-
sible for the inability of our manufacture
ers to sell their lumber. Official reports
show that imports of Canadian logs and
lumber for the year ending July 1 were
about 0O0,O0O,0O0 feet. This amount was
an increase of fully 500 600 600 feet over the
imports during the preceding year before
the present tariff law had gone into effect,
and the duty on Canadian lumber had
boen removed,-o or an amount very n early
approximating the surplus in our yards
and our docks which threatened and has
now imposed upon US the necessity for
closing our mills and depriving American
laborers of the steady employment which
it has been within our power to give them
almost without interruption during
long term of years.
The reports received by us indicate that
the present conditions surrounding the
lumber market, and which have imposed
the necessity for shutting down large
share of the mills belonging to our men,
bers, is an oversupply of lumber for which
there is no market and which cannot now
be sold at the cost of production. Your
board believes that this condition is
primarily due to the removal of the tariff
on lumber. We therefore suggest
that the assurance be given our chi
ployes that we have accepted the con-
ditiens which have been forced upon us,
even more unwillingly than will our men
now leave the positions which they have
been filling, and which under normal
conditions would have been opened to
them until in the fall, and but for these
conditions there would have been insured
to that large class of our employees who
find steady and renunerative employ
ment during every winter in the woods
the full quota of work. It must now be
evident to them that it is impossible for
us to give them the employment which is
usually theirs. In our opinion it will not
be possible SO long as the financial insti-
tutions are menaced by an unstable
money and our markets are invaded by
the products of other countries because of
an insufficient protective tariff-ta ariff
which neither protects the American
1aborer nor produces a revenue sufficient
to pay the running expenses of the gen.
eral government.
WM H. LAIRD.
S. T. MCNIGHT,
WIN. IRVINE,
H. G. AKELEY,
F. WEYERHAEUSER,
GEO. H. ATWOOD,
ARTEMUS LAMB,
r. f. NETSON