The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1903-09-06

| Inc luIupef HldIketS OF the Orlen
and the share which the United States
is likely to have in supplying them i:
the subject just now of some attention
by the department of commerce ant
labor, through its bureau OF statistics
says Washington dispatch. This
bureau recently received and published
reports of American consuls, which an.
nounced the arrival of the first cargo
Of lumber in the Chinese market by q
Russian vessel from Vladivostock. This
fact opens the question of future COM
petition for the. Oriental market be-
tween the American lumber interests
on the Pacific coast, on the one hand
and that Of the Russians in Siberia and
on the Yula river on the other.
In both cases enormous resources are
awaiting development. The American
industry of the Pacific coast has the
advantage of organization on a large
scale and of mechanical equipment un-
equaled by that of any other field in
the world. This is evidenced by the
rate of annual production. Unofficial
estimates put the annual cut of lumber
and shingles of the three Pacific states
at 4,600, 100000 feet, of which Californ-
ia supplies S6O,OO0.000 feet: Oregon 74O,-
100000 feet; and Washington, 2,3O0, ,0OO,-
900 feet. At this rate it is calculated
that the forests of the Pacific coast
will be exhausted in 40 years.
AS it would naturally be expected, the
Pacific lumbermeh have been rapidly
enlarging their area and volume of
commercial distribution, both in the
foreign and domestic markets. Accord
ing to figures gathered by the burean
of statistics, the redwood shipments
from upper California, mostly to San
Francisco and the southern coast, in
1902 amounted to 260,597 sos feet. In ad-
dition to this, the California coast alone
in 1902 received 606 102. .9S2 feet of pine
and fir; in 1901, 403, ,245,54O feet; and in
1900, 370,25S,313 feet. The rate of in
crease, as viii be seen by comparison Of
these figures, is enormous.
Further north on the coast the trade
in lumber has been expanding with corr
responding strides. Shipments by water
alone at Seattle were 564 472,S01 feet of
lumber in 1902, and 5O6,9s4,749 feet in
1901. A movement of almost equal pro-
portions is taking place to points in the
interior by rail. In 1902 rail shipments
to the interior amounted to 562,175.000
feet, and in 1901. to 364,530 900 feet. The
number of shingles sent east of the Cas-
cade mountains, extending into the ter
ritory east of the Missouri river, and,
in many cases, as far as the lakes,
amounted to $3.50, $4,000 in 1902, and to
4, ,4S5, 500 900 in 1901. The traffic fur
nished to railroads in 1901 aggregated
81. .337 cars of lumber and shingles from
Seattle alone, and 69,231 cars in 1902.
Rail shipments from Tacoma, includ-
ing both lumber and shingles, were g.
141 cars in 1900, 4,520 cars in 1901 and
G, O26 cars in 1902.
Portland, Ore, shows a traffic toward
the interior by rail ranking next to
Seattle in importance. In the calendar
year 1900, 1896 cars of lumber were
shipped from this port, 517 in 1901 and
1886 cars in 1902.
AS the above figures indicate, one of
the most noteworthy facts in connec-
tion with the development of the Pa
cific coast lumber trade is its increas-
ing contribution to the transcontinental
tonnage for railroads on the way back
from the Pacific coast eastward. The
opening of the Mississippi valley to the
Pacific coast lumbermen likewise
brings the export trade from the coast
in closer relations with the demands
of the domestic consumer. The con-
sumer in the Mississippi valley Is d.
rectly interested in the progress Of
numbering, both in the northwestern
states and in the southern states. as
main sources of supply. The entire
east is chiefly dependent on both Of
.hese sources. Consequently, all domes-
tic industries and interests, relying on
the lumber supply of the future, are
with the prospective ability
Of any foreign competitor to share the
foreign market, and thus to affect the
rate of domestic output and it's ratio
% domestic demand.
The relative Importance of foreign to
domestic demands SO far as the Pa
cifc coast is concerned. is not easily
There are, however, a few
figures bearing on the subject. The
mills of the state of Wash
ington for 1892 reported that 1856, LIZ, 1888
feet were sent to coastwise destinations
and 153,115,e54 feet to foreign destina-