The Irish standard., 1905-08-19

I1S ~ VI Ills l1ut-1uleuSely, V1Vluly
of it. AS bit of tapestry from a far
off Turkish palace carries the scent
of the altar of roses to distant lands
and through many changing years, so
this towering figure of the Northwest
carries the SAVIOR of it's free spaces and
it's vigorous independence of spirit.
He has been a constructive force in
many ways.
His work for the Civic Federation
has been notable. He has always
pleaded for the Strengthening of the
public spirit through the growth of the
individual soul. With calm and i'm,
partial vision he has looked upon the
industrial strife between the forces of
labor and capital. His advice has al
ways been sane and salutary. He is
in the best sense constructive
thinker.
Another force making for construct.
i've efficiency in the far-the very,
very far-Northwest is j. S. Dennis,
an assistant to the second vice presi-
dent Of the Canadian Pacific railroad.
He is of Irish parentage, and his
love for the land of mis- forefathers is
alive and active. It is a perpetual
tap-root of enthusiasm. He has the
Celtic enthusiasm-and cautious
shrewdness that is merely another
way of saying he has Celtic ingenuity.
He must be a man of keen mentality,
for he broke lumber trust, saved the
consumer of lumber pretty penny
and kept a Canadian forest from be,
ing denuded.
There is vast open area in the
great Northwest which is being rapid
ly peopled. The story of how the in
terests of the pioneers were safeguard
! ed by Celt is as dramatic tale as is
often unfolded The first great need
of everybody going in there is lumber
with which to build houses. On this
side of the mountains large timbered
areas exist. 1t soon transpired that
/ the early settlers were complaining be
! cause the retail prices of lumber were
so high, and settlement was to GER
tain extent checked in consequence
| AS it is Mr.. Dennis business to people
the country, he decided to look into
this complaint, and he found a peculiar
condition existing. An organization
called the Retail Lumbermen's associ
alton, which consisted of the men who
retailed lumber at different points, haG
perfected an agreement by which the
mill men bound themselves not to sci
lumber to anybody who was not 6
member of this association. There
would be town with one retailer, OF
possibly two, and third man woult
come in and, satisfying himself thai
the conditions of settlement were good
might decide to invest his money II
| a third lumber yard.
Such a man would go to the Retail
ers' association, but its officers woult
tell him that they could not give hin
certificate of membership to estab
lish third yard in that place. HI
would then go over to British Colun
bia, bringing with him letter Of in
PRODUCTION from leading bank, ant
asking to buy three million feet of lum
ber on sight draft. In spite of his cap
ital and credit, when it was found tina
he had no certificate of membership
it was made plain that he could no
go into business.
| The railroad took the ground tha
the retailers had combined to contro
the lumber market, and that they were
lholding lumber prices unduly high, tt
the great injury of every settler going
into that country. Dennis did not pur
pose to stand any such arrangement
and was in position to make effective
opposition to it. In connection witt
the construction of certain lines II
British Columbia the Canadian Pacif1,
railroad came into possession of lant
grants comprising 100000 acres. II
the South Kootenay country it owns 81
per cent Of the timber. Dennis sug