The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1902-11-06
MERGER IN COURT
testimony OF COAL MEN AND
LUMBER MANuFAc-
TURERs.
Mr.. WtYfRHAUfStR, ZIMMERMAN
TIE COUNTRY RELIES UPON THE
STATE OF WASHINGTON
FOR LUMBER.
Mr.. WtYfRHAUfStR, ZIMMERMAN
G. B. HARRIS, RAILROAD PRESIDENT
THE MERGER WILL PROMOTE
BUSINESS AND DEVELOP
LATENT RESOURCES.

In The suit OF the United States against
the Northern Securities company Mr..
Frederick Weyerhaueser was the first
witness TO follow Mr.. Hill In the testi-
mony taken I'm st. Paul.
Mr.. Weyerhaeuser Is the largest manu-
facturer of lumber In the United States.
He testified as to the reliance OF the coun-
try upon thu state of Washington for lum-
Der. This passage in his testimony is in
teresting.
supply in the Mississippi valley?
A. Yes, sir; that is where 1 have been
operating for forty years.
O. How about the amount OF standing
timber in the Mississippi valley, available
for making lumber, compare with that in
former years?
A. 1t is getting very short; the supply
Is getting very short
O. About how long do you think that
you can continue numbering at profit In
this valley?
A. Oh, five or six years will wipe out
most of our mills, though the last tree
will not be cut for some time TO come in
these states / am speaking now main
~ of Wisconsin and Minnesota and Mich
o. How is 1t with your own mills in
this. valley? Are they Increasing or d.
minishing?
ing at Shell Lake this year and we are
getting through at Hayward, so there are
o. And taking down those mills?
A. We used to operate four in Dayen-
port, Iowa; we have only got two left
now
Q. To what part of the country are you
resorting for a supply Of timber In the
failure of this Mississippi valley timber?
A. We have been buying In Idaho,
Washington and Oregon.
.. What has been the extent or your
purchases in Washington?
A. We own 1,2500OO acres In that
eighborhood-from that up to 10000
acres: about 200, 200 in oregon, and per-
haps about the same In Idaho.
Q. Have you begun manufacturing
lumber from any of that timber?
A. Yes, sir; we manufacture In WASH
lngton and manufacture in Idaho.
He thought the largest market was In
Iowa, eastern Kansas and Nebraska,
though Illinois was considerable Of mar
ket
The facilities now offered whereby he
could ship, by the Great Northern and
Northern Pacific and the burlington,
pany and the public. In fact, this COM
bination was practically vital to his doing
q. II. Harris.
Geo. Il. Harris, president or the Bur-
lngton system. testified that he had been
With that system in some form for thirty
xix years The road had about $500 miles
of track and TO the question whether the
acquisition of the Burlington by the Great
Northern and Northern Pacific would re-
strain trade and traffic between the states
and foreign countries, he replied:
on the contrary, ! think IL Will pro-
mote business very greatly and develop
latent resources and enable forest, min
aral and other products to be utilized,
which are now idle. The practical extern
zion OF the Burlington road to the Pacific
coast by reason OF its connection affords
opportunity TO merchants and manufac-
turers to extend their markets. He cited
The fact that he had 2,400 miles of track
y se. ,,.t Nrtaa An
except those which have been planted by
The settlers No lumber Is cut In Nebras-
ta and sold on the market. Lumber Is
4 necessity to assist in settling up that
country. If people could not obtain lurn-
Der at a reasonable rate they could not
i've there. and Il is distinctly an advan-
.age to that country as well as TO the
on the Pacif1c coast ana 70
the transportation lines that distribute II.
The lumber has got to come directly
rom the Pacific coast. Formerly they got
enormous quantities of lumber from chi
,ago, but that supply was now largely
rom the Pacific coast, they could not get
/ from anywhere,
The cattle industry. he said, was another
great business that was being developed
oy this management. The cattle are load
ID on the ranges on the lines of the Great
Northern and Northern Pacific and sent
iown on the Burlington to feed and mt
Tor the market.
He Thought the Burlington rails reached
Every large packing point that he could
think of, except Sioux City.
2. What effect will attend the trans
portation Of lumber onto the Burlington
and the territory tributary to II, as ar
'ording reurn traffic over the Great
Northern and Northern Pacific, increas-
ng the volume and the reduction or
rates?
A. Wen, Il is obvious that a wagon
which can go loaded both ways can az
lord to do business at lower price than
,ne which has to be hauled one way emp
y. and the lumber business anordlng
Enables the company to do westbound
tonnage, and tempts us to do westbound
tonnage at the lowest price we can anoro
20 In order to promote that business we
various things by doing that.
We give the people of Nebraska and Iowa,
where we have great many, nnes-we
give them cheap lumber, which promotes
.rade there, promotes settlement. they
$ an added iuducement to people TO settle
here where we need settlement, ana; IN
iirctly, II helps us In other ways; Those
people have got to wear Shoes ana clothes
Ind have tea and coffee.
The next matter taken UP was the trans
oortation of coal and iron ores. Speaking
y this Mr.. Harris said: We reach a great
many mines from the Streator district on
he north TO the district OF which Contra
"a Is the southernmost point In the south,
'ut great many, anu some very large
mes, and a few years ago--a very snort
line ago, in fact-the coal supply on the
Burlington lines in Illinois had exceeded
he demand to such an extent that the
'oal operators were beginning 70 De ilt-
lie FESTIVE about Il. They thought We
'ugbt to be able to hustle around ana pro-
'ide a market in some way--do something
bout It. But IL was somewhat difncult
o do that Independently. The soft coal
ioes not stand n great many transfers
I Is friable deteriorates rapidly ana must
De taken from the mines to as near the
Joint OF consumption as possible without
ar transfer so this country up here,
being without COAL
Q. You mean "up there" along the
Great Northern and the Northern Pacific,
Minnesota and Dakota2
Yes, this northern country, and es-
Decially the lines of those two roads
We thought that that would amord us
permanent market for that large
lmount of ccaI that Is to be had there
4 moderate price.
@. And aid you have an advantage,
through shipment and exchange or cars,
lver the fiuctuating conditions attend
Int upon a joint rate?
A. Well, In preparing for a very large
you could not provide cars, nor
guild the miners afford TO work the miues
and make the large expenditure that is
necessary to do II In the most economical
md efficient manner when the market
vas liable TO be changed, or as ! SAID be-
iore, the door was liable 20 be shut any
gay by somebody saying, well, we think
We will turn this current Of commerce
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