Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1902-11-05
MERGER IN COURT.
Lumber and Coal Men Testify as to
the Practical Workings.

Lumber and Coal Men Testify as t.
the Practical Workings.
In the suit of the United States against
the Northern Securities company, MIR
Frederick Weyerhauser was the first wit
ness IS, to foliow Mr.; Hill in the testimony
Mr.. Weyerhauser is the largest manu-
1acturer of lumber in the United States.
he testified as to the reliance of the coun-
try upon the state Of Washington for lum-
teresting.
p g: Are you acquainted with the lumber
supply IN the mississippi valley?
A. Yes, sir; that is where I have been
operating for forty years.
q: How about the amount Of standing
timber TIN IN the Mississippi valley. available
10 tor maklns lumber, compared with that
T., A. eet It is getting very short; the supply
9. About how long do you think that
this valley?
A.. Oh, five or six years will wipe out
most mo, OF our mills. though the last tree
these states I am speaking now mainly
OF wisconsin and Minnesota and Michi-
g: How is it with your own mills in
1n'S Xpailey! Are they increasing or di-
A. Diminishing. We get through saw
Ing at Shell Lake this year and we are
getting get ne through at Hayward SO there are
9. And taking down those mills?
"a: we useo TO operate four In Daven-
port L.: we have only got two left now.
resorting for supply Of timber in the
failure Of this Mississippi valley timber ?
A. We have been buying in Idaho,
Washington and Oregon.
u. What has hp0O tho ovtopt ~ voyr
purchases in Washington?
A. We own 1,250,00 acres in that
aeres ah@f 2da that tn up to
haps about the same in Idaho.
=; Have you begun manufacturing
lumber from any Of that timber?
~ a. &C., Yes s., sir: we manufacture in WASH
he thought the largest market was in
Iowa. eastern Kansas and Nebraska,
though Illinois was considerable OF mar
The facilities now offered whereby he
gould ship: by the Great Northern and
Northern Pacific and the Burlington, were
OF great advantage both to his company
ana the public. In fact, this combina-
ton was practically vital to his doing
business at all.
w. P. cIough.
W. P. Clough, fourth vice president Of
the Northern Securities company was the
made by the Northern Securities company
has been a direct Individual transaction
The stock purchased was transferred alb
solutely Internationally in every case and
without solicitation on the part Of the
company.
He had been practically present at the
New York office every business day since
the company was organized. There was
OF Great Northern and Northern Pacific
stock would come in and ask to sell it
to the company and would receive in pay
therefor the stock Of the Northern Sc
curities company.
He was next asked the amount of hold
ings in the Northern Securities company
OF the eight or ten gentlemen especially
sociates. to which he replied that he
thought that it was less than one third Of
pany.
6. 3. Harris.
Geo. B. Harris, president of the Bur-
lington system, testified that he had been
with that system in some form for thirty
SIX years. The road has about $500 miles
acquisition Of the Burlington by the Great
Northern and Northern Pacific would re-
strain trade and traffic between the states
ana ION the coSrafV he Tep y DIN
mote business very, greatly and develop
erai and other products to be utilized,
VIM Whlch n are now idle: The practical extern
coast by reason OF it's connection affords
opportunity to merchants and manufac-
tp to extend their markets ad He cited
In Nebraska and there is not tree on it,
except those which have been planted by
the the settlers. No lumber is cut in Nebras
ka and sold on the market. Lumber is
a necessity to assist in settling up that
country. If people could not obtain lum-
Der at a reasonable rate they could not
live there, and it is distinctly an advan-
manufacturers on the Pacific coast and to
the transportation lines that distribute it.
The lumber has got to come directly
from the Pacific coast. Formerly they got
cago, but that supply was now largely
exhausted. and if they could not pet It
from the Pacific coast, they could not get
1t from anywhere.
er great business that was being devel-
oped by this management. The cattle are
loaded on the ranges on the lines of the
Great Northern and Northern Pacific and
mt for the market.
He thought the Burlington rails reached
every large packing point that he could
Q. What effect will attend the trans
portatlon of lumber onto the Burlington
and the territory tributary to it. as af-
f fGrding return II traffic over the Great
ing the volume and the reduction Of
A. Well, it is obvious that wagon
which can go loaded both ways can af-
ford to do business at a lower price than
one which has to be hauled one way emp
ty, and the lumber business affording a
constant supply of tonnage eastbound en-
ables the company to do westbound ton
mage, and tempts to do weStbound
tonnage at the lowest price we can afford
to in order to promote that business We
accomplish various things by doing that;
Iowa, where we have a great many lines
we give them cheap lumber, which pro-
notes trade there, promotes settlement.
and it is an added inducemen R!I to peopie
to settle there where we need settlement.
and, indirectly, it helps us in other ways.
Those people have got to wear shoes and
The next matter taken up was the
transportation of coal and iron ores
Speaking of this Mr.. Harris said: We
reach a great many mines from the
trict Of which Centralia is the southern
most point in the south, but a great many
and some very large ones, and a few years
AGA ago very short or time ago, In fact-the
linois had exceeded the demand to such
an extent that the coal operators were
beginning to be little FESTIVE about it..
hustle around and provide a market in
it was something difficult to do that in
dependently. The soft. coal does. not
deterforates rapidly and must be taken
from the mines to as near the point Of
consumption as possible without car
transfer. So this country up here, being
without coal
@. You mean "up there" along the
Great Northern and the Northern Pacific,
Minnesota and Dakota?
A. Yes. this northern country, and es-
nPcia1lv the lines Of those two roads
We thought that that Would afford us
a permanent market Tor that large
TOLD IN VERY FEW WORDS.