The Hawaiian gazette., 1903-09-11
PACIFIC LUMBER TRADE.

/ The lumber markets Of the orient
and the share which the United states
Is likely to have in supplying them, il
the subject just now of some attention
by the Department OF Commerce ana
Labor through its Bureau OF Staus-
tics. The Bureau recently recelVeu
and published reports OF American
consuls in the Orient which ANNOUNCED
the arrival of the first cargo OF LUMBER
in the Chinese market by RUSSIAN
vessel from Vladivostok. This fact
opens the question OF future eompeti-
ton for the Oriental market between
the American lumber interests on the
Pacific Coast, on the one hand, and
that of the Russians in Siberia ana
on the Yalu river, on the other VI
both cases enormous resources are
awaiting development. The American
industry of the Pacific coast mas the
advantage of organization on large
scale and Of mechanical equipment uh :
equalled by that of any other nelo III
the world. This is evidenced by the
rate of annual production. unofh-
cial estimates put the annual cut
of lumber and shingles of the three
Pacific states at 4,e00.000OOO feet, OF
which California supplies S6OVOoooo
feet; Oregon 100000 900 feet, and WASH
Ington 2,3O0, 900 900 feet. At this rate 1t
7 Is calculated that the forests or the
Pacific coast will be exhausted In for
ty years.
AS It would naturally be expected,
the Pacific lumbermen have been
rapidly enlarging their area and vol
ume of commercial distribution, hoth
in the foreign and the domestic mar
kets.
According to figures gathered by the
Bureau of Statistics the redwood snip
ments from upper California, mostly to
san Francisco and the southern coast.
in 1902 amounted to 26O,597,6O5 feet In
addition to this, the California coast
alone in 1902 received COG 102,9S2 feet OF
pine and fir, in 1901 i03,2i5,5io
feet and in 1900, 37O,25S.913 feet. The
rate of increase, as will be seen by
comparison of these figures. is enor-
nous.
Further north on the coast the trade
in lumber has been expanding with
corresponding strides. Shipments by
water alone at Seattle were 56i,472,So1
feet of lumber in 1902 and sos 900
feet in 1901. A movement of almost
equal proportions is taking place to
points in the interior by rail. In 1907
rail shipments to the interior amounted
to 562. US, 900 feet and in 1901 to 1884,
$50, 900 feet. The number of shingles
sent east of the Cascade mountains
extending into the territory east of the
Mississippi River and, in many cases,
as far as the lakes, amounted to s.
OS0 $40, 900 in 1902, and to 4,4S5, 500, 600 in
1901. The traffic furnished to railroads
in 1901 aggregated 52,S37 cars of lum-
Der and shingles from Seattle alone,
and 69,231 cars in 1902.
Rail shipments from Tacoma, in
Guiding both lumber and shingles, were
3.14l cars in 1900, 4,52O cars in 1901 and
COPS cars in 1902
Portland, Oregon, shows a traffic to-
ward the interior by rail, ranking next
to Seattle in Importance. In the cal
endar year 1900, 1886 cars of lumber
were shipped from this port, 1857 in
1901 and 1856 cars in 1902.
As the above figures indicate, one of
the most noteworthy facts in connec-
ton with the development of the Pa
cific coast lumber trade is it's increas-
ing contribution to the trans-conti-
rental tonnage for railroads on the
way back from the Pacific coast east
ward. The opening of the Mississippi
valley to the Pacific coast lumhermen
likewise brings the export trade from
the coast into closer relations with the
demands of the domestic consumer.
The consumer in the Mississippi valley
ia directly 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
these sources. Consequently all do
mestic industries and interests, rely
ing on the lumber supply of the future,
are concerned 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 to domestic demand.
The relative Importance Of foreign
to domestic demands, so far as the
Pacific coast is concerned. is not east
ly ascertained. There are, however. q
few figures bearing on the subject.
The principal mills for the State of
Washington for 1892 reported that $780,
destinations, and l53,11j,654 feet to
foreign destinations. II this ratio
holds good for the coast as a whole,
it would appear that nearly 80 Der
cent of the output goes to foreign ana
20 per cent to domestic uses.
From present indications the United
States has nothing to fear from her
rivals in the lumber trade of the Pa
cihc, Ultimately, the Philippine ISL
ands will no doubt contribute materi-
ally to the supply. The trade from the
Pacific coast of the United States is
now in strong position.
| During the fiscal year. 1902, the
| United states exported l,402, 400, 900 feet
OF lumber and sawn timber, of which
200 900 feet We're sent from the Pa
cific coast, The exports of wood and
manufactures thereof advanced from
| $26 600 in 1893 to So 900, 900 in 1903;
| lumber, the largest item, increased in
value from 100000 in 1898 to SCI ,OOO,-
900 in 1908.
! Since 1898 the Chinese empire. Hong
kong, British Australasia, Peru and
Chill, have, together, doubled the value