The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-06-18
To II ndIe Puget Sound Lum-
Der in the East.
DIVORCED FROM MIL BUSINESS
Good ~ug-es- ions From the Lumner-
man. in Line with the Pfans OF
the seattle Exchange

/ throughout this section.
.swIthin recent years there has been saeh
| an enlargement 81 msII capacity on 1ne
Pacific coast. especially In the Puget sound
/ region. that there * a constant menace u
/ s-AraccurrulaIicn Of stocks Really mil
! capacity has ogerreached the foreign ana
| cozstxlSs demand. and 4 5 the earnest
/ desire Of Mill operators 10 get over the
| mountains with their product. and spread
| II all over the territory between the ROCKY
! mountains and the Atlantic ocean They
! want more outlet eastward FOR nr, cedar.
| spruce. redwood and sugar pine n order
| 10 be abe 70 dispose OF their Increased
| surplus II seems as II either there would
| have 20 be check 70 the building q mills
| and the consequent further increase OF
| OUTPUT. or a larger outlet for product IN
the eastern field
| within ave years there has been much
| promotion Of Puget sound and Gray's Har-
! Dor lumber in the country east OF the
| mountains. II has come in connection
| gfth the wonderful development Of he red
| cedar shing.e trade IN the same portions
| Of the country Fir timber. flooring, cell
| Ing. and car factory stuff have made con-
| siderable headway. Cedar and spruce
| siding have also found recognition But
| the trade has been promoted mostly b
| agents from the mills or commission Dea
| in the several markets. who have con
! a1ed their efforts wholly % the disposal
/ % specials 10 dealers or consumers who
| would take hold Of a little for trial. Even
| the single business. which has assumed
| such large proportions. has been done oy
| way Of direct orders and shipments from
! the mills 20 the retail yards throughout
/ the country. Perhaps an exception should
| be made Of the trade az Missouri river
1 points, which Is largely in the hands OF
| wholesale dealers. who buy shingles on
| the coast and distribute them 20 the trade
| degree OF that kind OF business also
| prevails in upper Mississippi river mar
| kets-
THE wholesale qine dealers OF this city
/ started out two or three years 60 TO handle
| red cedar shingles. some were put in
| yard as stock 10 draw on as occasion re-
/ quired. but the main business was handled
| dierctly from the mills 20 the retail yards.
| That Is when orders were received from
the retailers. duplicate orders were for
/ Hfarded TO the coast, and the shin
/ giles were shipped directly TO the
| yards. In some instances deal
/ ers made large contracts for shingles 70
| be ordered forward through the season,
| as wanted. This method was as near
| an approach to a regular wholesale trade
| as it could be without putting the shin
| giles into regular yard stock, as northern
| pine and cedar shingles are
| The wholesale pine dealers were going
| sn theoretically 10 develop a coast single
| trade. but a difficulty arose. Statesmen
I were -tAE out from the QUASI A4V So
| ed about among the retail yards and took
| orders for shingles az prices 50 near the
| wholesale figures as TO cut of the trade
| from this market That IS. they left no
| margin for handling By dealers here on
| that account dealers have allowed the red
| cedar trade 70 lauguish. Nearly all the
| yards carry them IN stock. and some con-
| tinue TO take orders and handle them by
/ the car load. but no special effort Is being
| made 70 develop the business because
| there is not sufficient profit iR il 20 Justify
| H. Besides in the direct shipping trade
| certainty about quality. which render the
| trade unsatisfactory. especially since II is
| improbable In other respects
| 1T Is evident that II the Eastern demand
| for Pacific coast mill product IS TO be fur
| ther promoted the business should De sys-
| tented on its mercantile side. Distrtbu-
| ton should be taken out % the hands OF
! commission men ard occasional aid fusa-
| cious agents and placed tn the control OF
! responsible. capitalized wholesale dealers
| who viii take an interest in promoting the
| sale Of lumber and shingles "a q growing
| and permanent feature q their business.
] To this end the manufacturers on the
coast should unite for the purpose of or
! ganfzfng a wholesale trade, either by
| means Of their own capital. or by taking
| measures 20 iQGuce Eastern dealers with
/ capital 10 embark in the trade. 4 begin
I EtsE CULtG Or maze IN FnANGF Oh MOI 1oI
| BY calling 81 agents who sell 70 fhe retail
| Yards Then place the distribution hush
| ness In the hands OF wholesale dealers.
| either with or without yards selling lum-
Der and shingles 70 such wholesale dealers
| IN blocks, as Is done IN the case NJ north
| sru ufne and To some extent 81 southern
! product. This would pax The distribstion
! feature Of the trade where u belongs. snd
/ would relieve the mil operator 81 the na-
/ cessify % being both a manufacture and
| a merchant. with al that this involves 81
| capital labor ard risk OF making sa.es
| and delay IN collecting money for lumber
! thus disposed II
THE uaIi1 operators or the Pacific coast
| are tn AN sucouVsuienf position 20 hartle
| the dlrert trade from Che m8Is Go retail
yards east 90 the mountains. Tney caneo.
/ get into thr NsEoeri river valley vltaouf
/ . hau} IF "o ~ NOR miles ana in >s8p-
/ uing iamhcr further easF the lsz.aaEe tn-
I rreasez unfiI several thousands q rifles
/ are covered. The rnln operator nav ceE-
! ve~Is175v 3lsfrihHte F3ulber SIS Eastern
/ WashIuEton idaho. CreToa an5 T<tah- snf
I make good h.siuess ef 81 hut Whea x
comes 60 SCI INK Pie ret 81 sra ~ So the vast
( Interior east ~ the ROCKS mountains the
/ mill cperatoT ts uso1esaiinr n ten long
Z range F4c reesfs fhe e0-ape~att0a - a reg
( ulariy ORGANIZED ans Ee94rate wholesale
/ function v3th capital divorced from The
/ r1iu business with men 70 pGsh tae trade
E On 9fEetHef lines. The ir-FEffEerEfs~f OF Pa
Z clfc coast lumber II The Northwestern.
! Middle ard New ErrIae3 states would re
/ r1och more rapidly promoted through such
! wholesale agencies shan 81 can he by direct
! efforts from the mliis. When merchant
| ras bought stock an8 must make q Droff
| FL the sails % 81. ae becomes sn active and
/ aEzreezive promoter q the stuff NJ has 10
/ sail He advocates tts wprta On every oc-
| casI0u. ard pushes y i-to every possible
/ avenue a1f outlet There ssouj3 De
Ehoiess3s fTs 30 ia Pacific coast lumber 40
/ Dufuts Htnneap potts. Ou8 "a, Kansas cry.
/ =. Louis. Chicago Esetrcit or T0ie3u B2f-
/ salo ana Tnns waa4a- Thus = Ig sections o.
/ ire cogntrv w0u}5 Pc covered. an9 fhe DE-
/ mar3 RcalA thereby CRAFTY Pc developed
JEST as soon as freight rates shaN oe a1-
j1sfe5 50 that ihe Pacific coast lumber can
| saeeessfafiT compete wsfh other woods.
II vii % easy 20 sell an immense pre3Gct
/ iris sst@ % tha man@utntGs. TIN beT for
spec3aI uses. dressed md matched star ard
| 90 ~ Is res coming 20 the srnoaat - sew
/ era thousands ~ ear loads annually. n
( TIE car factory IRE sloEe rhers Is q large
| ana wrowfar demand whiea should be meat
for q katassals 6eRlerS e a proper arrange
-u@rs cossta be- Esagass@ wlzh tse mills.
There are varsoas cons 3srar lous ~h4cN
could - proaouu4sS ~ conuactson With
| rhts wholesale pTopas ltfo1. hst ore H@Es-
article a limited zsxeszgAre4V