The times., 1899-01-19
BIG LUMBER coMBINE.
Syndicate Seeking to Control the
North Carolina Pine Industry.

Baltimore, Jan. lS-A strong Boston
syndicate is negotiating for the consolida-
ton of various concerns engaged in the
North Carolina pine lumber industry.
The aim is to place this important busi-
ness under one control, and to carry out
such plan about twenty-five leading con-
Germs would have to be included in the
combination. These concerns turn out
about SOC, 900, ,OGO feet of lumber a year,
and if consolidated would dominate the
North Carolina pine market. Such COM
bination would take about 100000, 900 to IL
nance.
There are a number of Baltimore com
panies engaged in this industry on large
scale. and capitalists of this city and of
MARYLAND have been among the chief pro-
moters in the development Of the industry.
The largest OF these concerns is the Surry
Lumber Company Of which Mr.. K. l.
Waters, is president; Col. John Walter,
vice president. and Mr.. Francis E. Waters,
secretary and treasurer. On being asked
about the negotiations, Alr. Francis f.
Waters did not deny that they were in
progress but said that he had nothing TO
say on the matter Other persons inter-
ested were reticent-i in regard to the nego-
tiations.
The other Baltimore companies J.gaged
in the industry are: Tunis Lumber Com
pauy of which Mr.. Samuel c. Rowland is
president Greenleaf Johnson Lumber
Company; Suffolk Lumber Company, in
which Mr. Samuel z. Roland. OF the Ry-
land e. Brooks Lumber Compay, is a
leading spirit. and the Ba timore and
North Carolina Lumber Company, which
is controlled by George L. S-Oan q Bro.
The Jackson Brothers Company OF Sails
bury, of which Mr. William H. jackson IS
president s also large produc OF this
class OF lumber.
1t is said that the Boston syndicate
which is negotiating for the consolidation
of the various companies is Interested in
Canadian timber lands. The accessibility
of the North Carolina timber territory to
market is one of the advantages OF this
territory Competition between the vaii-
Gus producers has kept down prices and
at times sent them below a profitable fig
ure. Efforts have been made in the past
to secure a uniformity OF prices by agree
ments, but the results were not lasting.
With prices maintained. which would be
possible if the industry was under the
control of one management, it is figured
that the combination would be very
profitable one.
North Carolina pine is in active demand
Portland, Me. 1t has been sold in Michi-
gan and the interior markets of the
Middle and New England States are large
consumers of this product In the last
few years there has sprung up an export
demand which has developed some prom
ising markets.
The territory in which the short -leafed
pine, commonly designated in the mar
kets as North Carolina pine, predomnates
begins north of the Cape Fear River in
North Carolina and takes in a strip of
land along the coast running through Vir-
gnia and appearing in the lower counties
of Maryland on both the Eastern and
Western Shore. Over sixty years ago the
chief activities in this industry We're In
Maryland, and much of the development
in Virginia and North Carolina was in
augurated by Maryland lumbermen. The
various lumber companies not only control
the mills, but also own large tracts of TIM
ber land, and in many instances have built
railroads into these tracts to develop
them Some OF these railroads have con
siderable mileage and have large amount
of money invested in rolling stock. The
timber in sight controlled by these com
panies is calculated as sufficient to sup
ply their mills for periods of from fifteen
TO twenty-five years.