The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-21
RATES HIGH ENOUGH
LUMBER MANUFACTURER ON PA
CIFIC COAST PROTEST AGAINST
ANY ADVANCE
WOULD INJURE BUSINESS
Contracts Already Made Would
Have tC BE Cancelled if Tariff
on East-ROund Lumber
Was Increased.

Traffic representatives of the trans
continental and Western roads will meet
in Chicago soon with regard to readjust-
ing the divisions on lumber and sningle
rates from Pacific coast points. The Chi,
cagO-St Paul lines held a meeting in the
Windy City recently and decided that
they were not getting a fair division of
the rates on lumber and shingles. 1t was
feared by Washington and Oregon lum-
Der and single men that it was the in
tention of the roads to increase the rates,
and a meeting of representatives from
the Pacific Coast Lumber Manufacturers
association, the Washington Red Cedar
Single Manufacturers association and
the Pacific Coast Shippers association
was held in Seattle on Aug. Is. The fol-
lowing telegram was sent to the freight
Otlc ais Of the following roads, Mil
waukee, Great Western, Burling on, Rock
Island, Omaha, Illinois Central, Mime
apolis & St. Louis, Wisconsin Central.
Joint meeting representing annual
shipments of 10000 cars protest EMPHATIC
ally against the advance in single and
lumber rates by Western traffic lines.
Heavy loss on contracts for future de-
livery will result and weakness of market
makes proposed action very inopportune.
Railroads and shippers will suffer
seriously. Delay action pending receipt
of letter.
This telegram was sent because it was
understood that the Western trunk lines
had authorized d rate of 13 cents to Chi
cage and 10 cents to st. Louis from st.
Paul, or an advance over the present
shlngle, cedar and spruce lumber and
mixed car rates from St Paul to Chicago,
of cents per 100 pounds, and an au,
vance of 212 cents to St Louis; this ad-.
vance to be effective Sept. l.
Victor H. Beckman, of Seattle, editor
90 l.. I m.
secretary of four lumber and single
manufacturers associations and com
mittees, has written a letter to the
freight officials of st. Paul lines, protest.
ing against the proposed advanced rates.
In his letter he says:
An advance in the rates as proposed
will result disastrously to the shingle
industry of the Pacific coast, and materi-
ally affect the volume of both lumber
and single traffic, besides cutting off
the revenue derived from this haul by
the Western trunk lines 1t is dangerous
in the extreme, and in behalf of the as
sociations mentioned, we wish to enter a
most vigorous protest. The Single mar
ket is so weak at this time that the
Washington Red Cedar Single Manu-
facturer'S association is taking steps 70
close all the shingle mills in this state
for the purpose of preventing utter de-
moraliZation. This action is due to
the large number of cancellations of
Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, and
elsewhere, and if the Western trunk
lines enforce the contemplated advance
the inevitable result will be that the
fan trade will be filled by competing snin-
giles from the South and East and your
traffic Will be materially curtailed.
East Of Chicago the advance of cents
by the Western trunk lines will prove
very disastrous, and it is safe to state
that the volume Of trade will be very
materially curtailed. The margin of adj
vance is Sufficient to permit disastrous
competition from Hemlock white pine
and cedar shingles from Canada, hemiock
from Pennsylvania, and the number of
new single mills erected in Louisiana,
North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mis-.
slSSippi and elsewhere warrants the be-
lie that in the event of the contem-
plated advance Undertaking. cypress
shingles will largely supersede red cedar
shingles on the Atlantic seaboard, in
ONO, lndlana, southern Illinois, Iowa,
Kansas and Missouri. The redwood shin
giles of California have, on account of the
lower rates by the Santa Fe and South
ern Pacific, already found a large mar
ket IN Oklahoma and Kansas and to
some extent in Nebraska and II inois; and
the effect of the contemplated advance In
rates viii be to increase still further the
advantage which they now enjoy. and 10
practically give them control of some OF
our most profitable territory Texas for
the first time, has this year become a
large customer. The proposed advance
practically shuts us out of that market
1t Is dangerous to advance rates on
red cedar shingles at any time, because
the conditions which have prevailed this
year to Aug. are unusual, and will not
prevail again in number of years. AS
a matter of fact, due to unusual circun-
stances, this is the first year since red
cedar shingles have been marketed THAI
prices have reached such figures; and to
verify this statement we shall refer YOU
to the following table of average prices
paid for stars and clears at the mill
for a series of years:
Year. Stars Clears