The times., 1898-11-16
CANADIAN WHITE PINE.

ShA'o0AhAt w LII II
One Of the most interesting questions
between the United States and its north
ern neighbor today is the traffic in white
pine, of which material Canada has vet a
good supply. but which in the former
white pine regions Of this country mas
dwindled until the vanishing point is
plainly in sight Mr.. Arthur Hin, OF Sag
inaw, Mich.-a prominent Republican, by
the way-recently gave his views on this
important commercial matter
Il have closed out my business and
pocketed the loss" began Mr. Hill. and.
therefore, have ceased to have any per
sonal interest in the discussion OF our
Canadian lumber relations, except that of
a private citizen, who, from long famii-
iarity with the question. cannot but
watch with curiosity the development OF
events. / do not look for any remission
Of the two-dollar duty, which is double
that imposed by the Mckinley law. and
al time when. with our diminishing sup
ply, the movement ought to have been
in the other direction. The Commercial!
and political interests on our side are
strong. Now the Ontario government has
decreed that the white pine cut in that
province must be manufactured there.
and only few weeks ago Premier Hardy
sent out formal notices 10 the effect that
these regulations would henceforth be
strictly enforced. They had given Amer
lean holders of stumpage until April %
Of this year 20 cut and float their logs 10
this side But this privilege has now eN-
pired, and Canada proposes to do her
trading with Great Britain I look for
an extension Of the preferential principle.
and also for an increase in Canadian
home manufactures. She is taking this
lumber, shipping much Of il to England.
and some Of the cOarser grades to South
America, and Will buy, by reason Of this
p per cent preferential duty already de-
creed, her manufactured goods in Great
Britain. She has just one good American
customer for lumber left and that is the
Standard Oil Company, which buys ma
terial for crates used in its export trade.
Upon these the Standard Oil Company
gets a rebate Of 90 per cent OF the duty.
and so where other people here would
have TO pay 50 a thousand on Canadian
lumber, the government gives it to this
great monopoly at cents thousand
duty
If this duty IS continued, what will Be
its effect upon Massachusetts and New
York;"
''All over these States. and especially in
Massachusetts. are scattered little mi Is.
which have come down from the days
when the native forests supplied them
with material These mills manufacture
doors, blinds. sashes. boxes, and various
small furnishings. The greater part of
their lumber supply has of late years
been coming through Lake Champ'ain,
but the present duty. with the retalia-
tory act Of the Canadian government. is
sealing up these importations through
Lake Champlain, and with II the supply
for the Massachusetts mills. Those which
used wifite pine will have to go out OF
business. The industry will move to
northern Minnesota and Wisconsin wher-
some forests still remain. That is one
side of the case. and the other side is
that Canada has been one Of the best
markets for the cotton goods of New
England. But Massachusetts cannot sell
them any more with the preferential
tariff in operation In favor Of Great Brit
ain, and this IS only a sample of great
many other industries. Massachusetts
has shut of raw material from her fac
tories in one line. and her market for
manufactured goods in many others. In
these circumstances. it has always struck
me as strange that Senator Burrows, wh1
engineered through this duty. should have
had an opportunity TO acknowledge in a
speech in the Senate. as he did, his IT.
debtedness 10 Mr.. Hoar Of Massachusetts
for helping him in it. This is certainly
commendable devotion TO the protective
principle.
1T beats all how far anything can be
carried when once the hish-protection
label Is stamped upon it, When / was in
san Francisco l saw very strong pro-
test the Pacific Pine Lumber Som
paHy. ,rinted in the Chronicle. urging
our Canadian Commission not to take
any steps toward the reduction of this
two-dollar duty, on the ground that such
a reduction would deluge the country
with lumber from British Columbia tO
the displacement of that from our
Northwest. l took occasion to look into
the question Of lumber from British Co
lumbia TO see if it had ever come into
competition, and l found that during the
last year, when lumber was admitted
free-that ending June 80, 1S1-the entire
coast, including Washington. Oregon,
and California, imported less than a thou
sand dollars worth of lumber-practi-
cally nothing at all. This apprehension,
and the protest to which it gave rise.
were in consequence meaningless, and
yet it is such an easy matter for any
body who has an ak TO grind to go
round and say: This is a protective
measure; won't you sign in favor OF ito
The boards of trade fall over each other
in their efforts TO pass resolutions which
are often-times pitiable in the ignorance
they exhibit of the actual conditions"