The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-01-01
DUTY ON LUMBER.
Ways and Means Committee Treated to
some INTERESTING Talks.

Washington. Decem ber 31.-The two
Industries. wood and manufactures of
wood, and pulp, papers and books, were
the subjects of the hearing today by the
committee on ways on ways and means.
The hearing was opened on behalf OF
the lumber interests by c. d. Goodyear
of Buffalo, who has bean designated for
the purpose by the Cincinnati lumber
convention. What they asked was sub
srantially that white hemlook, bass
wood and sycamore be placed on the same
footing as spruce, which was now pro-
tected by duty of 50 per thousand, while
other lum ber had only protection of 81.
Under all tariff legislation, he said,
spruce has remained under the 80 clause.
Under this protection the production
Of Maine represented by those IN Con-
eress who looked after her welfare had
never failed to have protection to tie ex-
tent of 90 Thousand feet, while other
woods were protected only to the extent
of one dollar.
The chairman, MIR. Dingley of M1ine.
remarked that Maine was pine tree
state.
eyes" Mr.. Goodyear replied, ga pine
tree state, without any pine but lot of
spruce. of which O new crop can be
raised every so years.
A. Fl. Winchester of West Virginia,
spoke for the lumber men Of that state
and its purely American iaoorers: ne
| derided the sentimental idea of protect
ing American forests in the interests OF
the great rivers, ann elected general
| laughter by stating that when, under
| the last tariff act, the soft coal interest
was chit In the neck the West Viz
ginia mountaineers were jovial, but now
they realized their mistake. 1t was
the lone galloused barefooted men who
| we're getting out GROSS ties" that needed
| n dollar Of protection Where the YANKEE
did not need dime.
"What should be the duty on cross
! ties?" was asked.
sIt eLould be prohlbitive. was the
prompt reply, which was received with
| laughter. "Our ideas," he added, have
changed very much In relation to the
tariff. We Thought that the reduction OF
duty hit the Maine Yankee and men of
the Northwest, but | tell you it ia the
poplar men who suffered by 1t. -
As to stripping the mountain lands
of their forests, he described the present
mode of ''hacking" the trees which
we're now left to rot 'becauss lumber
was too cheap to remove them. His re-
marks were extempore and were charac-
| terized by considerable humor.
Representative Boutelle of Maine ex-
pressed his qualification at knowing
that the protection sentiment of his state
had extended to parts Of the south. He de-
clared that ne had never sought any in
| viduous or special protection for spruce
interests. On the contrary he had NJ
| peared before a subcommittee of the
committee on ways and means, when the
Mckinley bill was under consideration and
urged the retention of the duty on pine.
The subcommittee had proposed to
red uce the duty to 81 a Thousand, but il
had restored (and the full committee
had restored) the rate. In the Senate
however, the duty was reduced to 81. He
declared there was no disposition or de,
sire among the lum bermen Of Maine (and
there never had been) to interfere with
other classes of lum ber besides spruce
which was the bed rock of the lumber
induatrV