Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-08-18
MILL MEN MEET.
Discuss Wages With ths Men and losSess.
Amicabie MestiAS.


The millmen OF the Harbor have been
holding meetings and discussing the
wage problem last week and tho early
part of,this. Afterhue deliberation it was
conceded that although, they would pre-
fer to pay higher wages they could not
do 90 et present. - r,
h was shown conclusively that tho
price Of lumber had decreased during
the l4lt ok months, and thst wages
we're gt'e, here than on Puget Sound,
at the, Resent scale; that . further in.
crease3Q the ceets Of .ptoduction would
rendes4ke Harbor mills unable to meet
that bMpetitiong Or compel them 10
marke etleir produc' 1t q loss at the pre-.
sent q ~ iling prizes. While q shut.
down Vas to be deplored. yet no other
alternative Was left II any concerted
demand was made for either higher
wages or q higher price for logs.
In reviewing the general situation,
every mill man present reported either
positive loss, or operating 20 close to
the danger line that shutdown would
be benefit to them financially. Their
hesitancy at taking this step Was due to
a desire to hold their customers and
keep in the trade as long as they, could
manage to do go without serious loss.
"Several loggers were present and
claimed that they could not produce
logs at q reduction Of cost to the milis.
Representatives OF three OF these mills
reported an actual loss in business dur.
ing Che past six months. and while some
are too proud to admit that they have
done business at loss, all were free to
admit that they were intentionally
near the danger line. While we all
deeply deplore the present state Of the
market we can see no way that We can
get any better price for our product
while we have to compete with British
Columbia, where they employ Japanese
and Chinese labor.
puget Sound, where they pay .
smaller wage scale than we do, and in
land mills, where they get their logs for
about one-half what we pay, are also in
open competition with harbor mills.
In answer to the question, "Are not
Portland mills paying higher scale than
the mills on the Harbor it was stated !:
1--WE admit that the Portland mills are
paying little higher scale to common
labor than we on the harbor, but you
must bear in mind that they get two
dollar less freight rate to California
points than we do. via the Southern Pa
'ciic railroad, and they get from seventy.
five cents to one dollar load more for
their woodland they have market for
all Of it at good round price. Another
thing. They don't have to pay ten or
fifteen thousand dollars for refuse burn.
ers to get rid of their offal; with their
excellent market they sell all this for
good, hard coin, and assure you that if
we could also sell our waste at the prices
they get you would hear no complaint
about the reduction OF wage scale.
"Unfortunately we can only pay but
what We take in, and whenever our in.
come proves inadequate to meet the
running expenses Of the business we for
one will quit until such time as we think
we are warranted in paving what our
men ask. We will say that our men
have been very reasonable indeed, and
we have very few complaints. We only
ask them to semain in our employ until
they can get more money or better treat.
ment than we give them. and whenever
that time comes we will cheerfully, but
reluctantly part with them" - .