Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-08-22
A Timber. Land Monopoly.

\ deal in timber lands involving a
consideration Of 100000 was lately
consummated by the Northwestern
and Hypothtke Bank to the Palouse
River Lumber Co. The lands lie
along the Palouse river, i'll Idaho,
where the company have big sawmill
The tract conveyed embraces I4,700
acres, covered with white and yellow
pine, fir and tamarack
An authoritative statement places
the capital invested by Eastern parties
in timber lands In this State and Ore.
gon, within the last three years, at
$3O,OOO.0OO. This capital came mainly
from Michigan and Wisconsin, where
the increasing scarcity of choice timber
has driven dealers westward for sup.
ply. A few years ago, stumpage in
those States ranged from % to so
cents per thousand. 1t has now in
creased to $40 for white pine. As the
main acquisition Of timber land on
this coast has hitherto been from rail-
road companies, or the trustees OF
large holdings, it has excited little at
tention, but now that capitalists are
purchasing smaller tracts from indi.
viduals, the wide scope of their opera.
tions is becoming more apparent. And
as the trend of these deals became
known, SPECTATORS in all lines OF bust.
ness have entered into competition
with the Weyerhauser and other syn.
dicates, to acquire property which
promises such sure, safe and large re.
turns, and the business has assumed
very large proportions.
A dealer in Portland, when asked to
give come figures regarding many
transactions in which he was inter.
ested in negotiating, declined to state
the facts for publication, intimating
that his success depended upon no one
knowing what he was doing. But the
constant influx of Eastern spectators
has gradually awakened the people OF
that State, as we'll as this, to the fact
before very long the entire control OF
the numbering industry will have
passed into the hands of the lumber.
men of Michigan and Wisconsin. In.
quiry brings to light the fact that at
this time the most of the valuable
lands of Oregon, Washington and
Northern California are in the hands
of not over a score of firms whose
headquarters are in the East.
There is some restraint upon the &C.
QUESTION of these lands for speculative
purposes by the act OF the last Wash.
ington Legislature, providing that in
cases where State lands have stand
OF over 1000, 900 feet of timber to the
quarter. section, the timber shall be
sold separately from the land, and the
Attorney General holds that the in
tent of the law is that land having
over that amount Of timber on it, can.
not be sold, and that the timber can
only be sold under q contract to re-.
move it within three years. The ef-
feet of this opinion has been to en-.
tirely shut out intending purchasers
Of that description Of land for specula-
ton.
There are . number of cases where
millmen, nearly three years ago, pur-
chased timber under this form of con
tract. They now, finding themselve.
unable to remove the timber within
the specified time, wish to purchase
the land to keep the timber from re-
verting to the State, but under the
ruling of the State Land Commission
or, based upon the above opinion, they
cannot do so. They propose TO tesl
the matter in the courts, and suit, i,
is said, has been begun by an Oregon
man named ]. H. Walker, whose ap
plication was rejected to purchase 8
heavily.timbered section Of land il
Wahkiakum county, this State, ON ar
appeal from the ruling Of the Com
missioner. This will, of course, brinf
the act before the proper tribunal fol
adjudication.
THE effort to propagate the Eastern
oyster on Puget Sound has at las
attained success. The evidence exist
in the shape of three-year-old oystel
with six yearlings, so-called, Eastern
oysters attached to the shell, aloni
with dozens Of the native yearlings
They are nearly two.thirds larger thar
the native product, and the shell il o
q much lighter color. The exhibi
came from the oyster beds Of McDon
aid T. O'Neill at Shelton and is in evi
dence, says the News. at tho Office o
the State Fish Commissioner, at Ia
coma.
WHEELS are dangerous things now
adays. Right upon the heels of th
death Of the Fairs in France, from
scorching" in their automobile
comes the accident to A. H. Christie
pher, by a bicycle collision, near Wood
land, on his return Wednesday night
from trip awheel to British Colum
bia. The Oymspian reports that whel
he reached town he was almost una
BILE to speak," 1t behooves every pru
dent man to carry an accident insur
ance policy.
OEErcIAr informa ti0n has heen re-