The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1898-08-13
"a CHANGE OF pa Sc,
Alger-Smith Transfer Operations from
Georgian Bay to Pigeon
s& River.

Georgian Bay to Pigeon
River. &.
Alger, Smith & Co. have abandoned
their numbering operations on Georgian
bay and moved their camp equipment tx
Pigeon river, Ont, on the north shore
of Lake Superior. The causes which
led to this change of base date back tx
the period when congress was struggling
over the Dingley bill and the lumbermer
were busily lobbying among the states
men at Washington on the subject of {
tariff on lumber. s. .s e
Many Michigan lunbermen have in re-
cent years, since the pineries of that
state have become exhausted, been oper.
ating in Canada. Logs have been cut
over the line and towed to the American
mills, where they we're sawed into lumber
thus making it possible to keep up old
lumber towns that had no more American
lumber. to draw on. Lumber manufact-
urers engaged in this branch of the bus
mess were opposed to a duty of more
than 81 per $1,000 feet on lumber, and
fought valiantly against the 50 tariff
that was asked for by the Minnesota and
Southern manufacturers, and were
nearly successful. They feared that if a
50 tariff was put on Canadian lumber
the Canadians would retaliate by forbid
ding the expectation of Canadian logs
to the Uni Jed States, and thereby cripple
the lumber manufacturing industry in
Michigan, which depended largely on
Canada for its "raw MATERIAL" In this
surmise they we're not mistaken for the
Ontario parliament passed law forbid
ding the expectation of logs to the
United States after April 30 last. An
exception only was made to logs that
had been cut and skidded before that
time.
Alger, Smith & Go. under this law,
could bring no more logs to the United
States from their land on Georgian Bay
and they could see 10 profit in manufac.
turing lumber there and bringing it to
this side by paying a duty of 50 on every
1000 feet. The firm however had pur-
chased a tract Of pine in the Pigeon
River district from the Canadian govern.
ment, which is in what is known as
an excepted district. That is, lumber
on these lands, according to the con-
tract by which it was purchased, was ex.
copied from any tariff laws that might
then or thereafter be enacted. So the
Georgian bay equipment was loaded on
boat and taken to Pigeon river where
it is now being employed.
John Millen, manager of the the firms
business, said to a Herald reporter today
that he had not yet decided what dispo.
sition would be made of his logs al.
though it was his original intention tc
tow them across Lake Superior to Grand
Marais Mich, where Alger, Smith &c Go
have a large plant, a distance of go
miles. On investigating the lumber
market OF Western Ontario, however, he
found that lumber was worth more at
Rat Portage than it is at Duluth or
other Lake Superior points, and he is
considering the ACCESSIBILITY of towing
the logs to Port Arthur, where they will
be manufactured for the Canadian
market. The activity in the gold coun.
try and general development in that
part Of Ontario has greatly stimulated
the lumber business IN that part of the
dominion. Alger, Smith & Co. have in
the Pigeon River district about 100000,
600 feet Of good pine.