The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-08-20
TIMBER VALUES
EDITOR OF AMERICAN LUMBER
MAN TALKS.
Says Stumpage Prices Will Double
and Treble Within Next Few
transformations East and the
Great Future of State of Wash
iDgtOn.

Seattle, Aug lin the opinoin of
James Elliott Defebaugh, of Chicago,
editor of the American Lumberman,
the greatest lumber trade journal in
the world, "the timber of the North
west will double and treble in values
in the next few years." Mr.. Defebaugh
is in Seattle for the purpose of attend
ing the Transmississippi Commercial
congress, before which he has been in
vited to deliver one of the principal adj
dresses. He has chosen as his subject
"Transmississippi Lumber Production
and consumption.
The Pacific Coast Lumber Manufac-
turesr' Association, which meets in Ia
coma Aug. %, has invited him to adj
dress the session. Before he returns
home Mr.. Defebaugh will visit the
lumber centers of the Coast, gathering
data for series of articles which he
Will publish in his paper. Regarding
the timber resources of the state, in an
interview, Mr.. Defeoaugh said:
"The timber values of Washington
must continue to rise rapidly from nat
ural causes which are as inevitable as
the tides. In fact the rise has already
begun. dare say that the timber pur-
chased three years ago by the Weyer-
hausers at from 80 to so cents thou
sand feet stumpage, could not be bought
either in part or as whole for three
times the original purchase price.
Old Districts Denuded.
"The old lumber districts of the
Northeast have been almost denuded of
trees and the southern production has
reached point where it cannot be in
creased in volume. Therefore the fu-
ture of the lumber industry lies in the
Northwest. The ordinary increase in
immigration and population to this dis
tricti sufficient alone to swell the de-
mand and price.
''This is my fret visit to Puget
Sound, and although l have visited
nearly everv other great lumber region
in the world, from the forests of Nor
way to those of Russia, l have long
harbcred the desire to come to this, the
greatest lumber country of them all
You in tho Northwest are making great
er strides and have a greater future
than any lumber district in the United
| States.
CIR vii lbe the wood of the future.
The great amount which there is of it,
combined with its utility, will make it
our main reliance in time to come.
The very moderate supply of white pine
| in this district and farther south will
| last but short time. Fir is bound to
hold the leading place in the markets
Of the future.
Southern timber holdings are large
but are being manufactured at ire
mendous rate, and the advance in tim
Der values in the south during the last
five years has simply been unparalleled.
Lands that sold for from five to seven
doollars an acre five years ago are now
selling at from twenty to thirty dollars
an acre, but the Southern production
will never be very much increased.
GAS far as lumber conditions in the
East are concerned. business has not
been so quiet for two yeras as it has
during the last month. Last year and
the year before before there was practi-
cally no lull IN trade. The labor trou-
bles and financial hurries have to d
| slight extent reacted on the lumber
trade. First strikes interfered with
building. Many people who planned
on building were deferred, and all this
has reacted on tie demand. The pro-
At1at no
as the mills have kept running on the
samet ime. This has resulted in over
production, at least so far as shingles
are concerned.
Farmers Attracted Elsewhere.
In portions of the East, such as Iowa,
which have been consuming large
part of the Washington lumber pro-
duct, the farmers have been attracted
to the farming lands of Canada, and
temporary decrease in the lumber ex.
portt o that section has resulted
"The demand for car materials has
been another big factor in the amount
which the Northwest exports. This
has not been SO brisk, though yet of
fair value.
6 1t is hardly fair to reckon on the
month of August as criterion for the
future season. We always used to ex-
pect let-down during that month, and
then the fall trade would beign again
in October. The last two good years
have seemed to spoil us.
"The work which Clifford Pinchot,
head forester of the United States, is
trying to carry ON should receive the
heartiest support of all good citizens.