Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-12-24
COMBINE
OF THE PACIFIC COAST IN DAN
GER OF GOING TO PIECES.
Meeting at Portland Of Manufacturers Not har.
monious. Shrinkase Of Home Demand
Causes Mills to Disregard Price lists in Sc.
curing Foreign Orders.

The combine between the lumber
manufa cturers of the Pacific Coast, Iela-
tive to export interests, is bound to go 10
pieces, says the Portland Oregonian. At
least this is the expressed opinion OF
some prominent manufacturers who are
in position TO know inside facts. They
assert that the agreements that for two
wears past have held export prices up.
have served their usefulness and on ac-
count of the condition of the home mar.
ket there must OF necessity be disrup-
ton Of the export combine. 1t is alleged
that some OF the mills have been guilty
OF cutting prices on the quiet and have
c ,ntinued it until the market is already
Il ,derm ned.
The looked.for result is great shaking
up in the reign market. that will re-
suit in heavy loss, not only to the mills.
in the com bine, but to those outside OF
the organization. The latter mills would
like to see the combine remain intact be-
cause its agreement protects them, and
affords them a chance to get good prices
for their lumber.
A prominent lumberman in talking OF
the situation, said; Il see no other pos
sible result but a breaking up of the ex-
port combine. At the time this organi-
cation was made, there was good de-
mand for export lumber and still heav.
Ter demand on the home market. The
latter demand was SO great that many
mills made no attempt whatever to ship
their products to the foreign markets.
Under these conditions the mills that en-
tered the export combine were enabled
to get almost any price that was desired
and to MAINTAIN it. Since then matters
have changed materially. The home
market has gone to pieces, and as the
foreign market is still good, Of course
everything possible was directed in that
channel. The result is that there has
been an overcro wding and some Of the
mills have been quietly cutting prices to
get rid Of the surplus. This rate.cutting
has been getting more bold all the tim.
and it has been discovered. In fact, each
mill is discovering that the other is play.
ing at the same game and OF course there
is fight over it. With such conditions
existing no com bine could hold prices up
and fear that this one must go to pieces.
1t has served lite purpose and must 20.
hardly believed that anything could be
patched up that would save the lumber
interests from the disruption that is
threatened.
AUG NaIliOIHln PcOpic arc SCIappiue
about the penalty clause, and these other
conditions make it almost impossible for
u settlement to be made that will be of
any value"
Other lumberman still believe that the
threatened catastrophe may be avoided
by the adoption OF the articles of agree.
ment by the export branch OF the ASSOC
citation.
In the face of the chaotic condition of
the lumber industry, the information
comes that the Weyerhaeuser Lumber
syndicate is to open the Twin Falls log
ging camp. 1t is proposed to commence
work the first of the year. A force OF
men has been busy during the fail and
winter building logging road to connect
with the Portland, Vancouver and Yaki-
ma railroad. The branch extends about
Is miles into the forests
1t is said that work will be resumed
generally in the logging camps in the
early spring However, wages will
probably suffer a decided reduction, ow.
ing to the fall in price of logs.