Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-04-28
SHINGLE COMBINE.
OUR MILLS COMBINE AGAINST
THE SCALPERS.
The Manufacturers Organize and State Or.
sanization to Be Formed to Protect the
Interests Of the Employers and Employees.

ganizaton to Be Formed to Protect the
Interests Of the Employers and Employees.
1ntelligencer, 18th instant.
"To sum the whole matter up in a
NUTSHELL" said Charles l.. Patten, the
we'll known lumberman, yesterday,
"the question was whether the shingle
manufacturers of the State of Wash
ington would submit to the d;ctation
of lot of brokers and scalpers here
and in the East, and thereby lose an
! nually to the 200 shing!e mills in the
State $3O0,0OO per year, or whether
the manufactures would combine and
by opposing end the scalper combine.
We have combined, and we have end
ed the scalpers' combine"
This answer was in reply to a ques-
ton asked Mr.. Patten as to the reason
for last weeks meetings of the manu-
facturers of shingles in this State.
Then, in brief, Mr.. Pattcn gave the
whole story of the fight with shin
giles" as follows:
"The State of Washington has in
active operation about 200 shingle
mills, with an output of 292, 100000
shingles per month, or about 10000
carloads per year. This State fur
nishes the only red cedar shingle in
the world, and it is the best shingle
ever grown by nature and fashioned by
the hand OF man. For many years
the business paid but small, if any,
profit. Plants had to be instituted,
lands developed, and thousand and
one outlays against one remunera-
ton. But we got there, and builders
everywhere recognized the fact. Our
shingles we're specified in contracts
and wanted by builders, and conse-
quently we grew and prospered, not
getting fat by any means, but living
comfortably. The growth OF the trade
is shown by the comparison of ship
ments for January, February and
March OF 1898 and 1899. The ship.
ments of the first quarter of 1898
amounted to 3,OS7 cars, at about 170,-
600 shingles to the car. The ship
ments for the first quarter OF 1899, at
the same average load, was 3,439 cars,
or an increase over the quarter of the
previous year of 352 carloads.
"Now we are getting" continued
Mr.. Patten, "$1.20 per thousand for
'star" shingles and $140 per thou
sond for clears and all the under
weights
Business was going along SWIM
mingly and both mills and dealers
were making fair profit, when sud-
denly the Eastern dealers in our shin
giles met and, without = word to the
manufacturers, cut the price of red
cedar shingles ) cents per thousand,
and demanded all the underweight,'
that is, all the shingles that were not
up to standard were theirs by gift.
"It's too long a story to tell you
how they combined with Western
men, firms even in this town, and
were all prepared to simply lop off
$500 900 year from the mills and put
it in their pockets. The mill men of
Whatcom, Snohomish and Skagit
counties. the great shingle districts
of the State, caught on as the say
ing goes, and they called meetings to
discuss the cut. Two of the three
counties have already organized, and
the third county will organize next
Tuesday night. Each county will ap-
point committee OF three to meet in
convention and form State Associa.
ton of Shingle Manufacturers.
"Now we have the dealers on the
hip. The Washington shingle men
shipped 10000 carloads of their red
cedar shingles last year. and the same
shingle can be purchased only in
Washington. The manufacturers
were satisfied. Nearly every mill was
from two to three months behind with
their orders when the cut was made.
Now over 10000 men are employed in
and around the mills, and it was a
serious question what to do, but the
Whatcom people and the Skagit peo-
pie decided that if the rates were to
he reduced the mills would be closed
down. The Snohomish people will
undoubtedly agree when they meet
next Tuesday night, and with that
meeting the State organization will be
certainty.
"The men in Chicago heard OF our
combine as against their own," said
Patten, laughing, "and to show you
how strong they are, will read you
part of telegram addressed to the
shingle men who met at Sedro- Wool
ley. They offered to waive the under
weight proposition outright and asked
that we take no action until fhey
could appoint a committee to visit us.
"The Western men in the dealers
scalpers' combine became alarmed
and sent Harry Carson, of this city, to
Chicago to hold the Eastern men
firm in the cut, as a few firms here
had already cut the ruling market
prices by issuing circulars broadcast
offering shingles at way below the
rate. Mr.. Carson did not arrive IN