The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-01-22
BIG SHIPMENTS OF
SOUTHERN LUMBER
TO LAST OCTOBER 2,s47,314,s1s
FEET WE'RE SHlPPED-lN-
CREASE OF OVER BILLION OVER
FORMER YEAR.

Washington, January 21.-A large in
crease in shipments of yellow pine from
the south and southwest during the last
year is shown IN a publication of the De
partment of Commerce and Labor just
issued. During the ten months ending
October, 1905, there were shipped 2s4f,-
Sl4,1S1 feet as against 1775,lS7 feet Tor
the corresponding period in 1904, which
itself was an increase over the ship
ments of the preceding year. The states
included are Missouri, Arkansas, Texas,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia
and Florida.
A study of the table showing the des-
tination of these shipments gives striking
proof of the large proportion of this lum-
Der which Is shipped to domestic points
as against that which Is exported. Only
40 1872 S31 feet are given as export ship
ments. This leaves 2.706,5 ,9s7 feet devot-
ed to the domestic uses. It is further
shown that a very large proportion of
this lumber goes to the interior portions
Of the United States. Illinois, for in
stance. received 27S167. es1 feet, a larger
amount than any one state except Mis-
souri,, which received 3O6,S09,065 feet To
Texas were shipped 277. ,2e9 and to
Kansas 2Oe,245,629 feet. These four states
received by far the largest shipments.
Out of the total of 2,7O6,521, 9s7 feet con-
sumed in this country, the shipping states
themselves used for their manufactures
only 21s. 701 6S3 feet.
Students of the problem of regulating
railway rates. which is now the principal
topic of discussion here in Washington.
have been laying stress upon the diff
ficulty of arriving at solution because
Of the vast Industrial interests involved.
They point to this distribution Of yellow
pine from the south for illustration of
their argument. These figures, they say
show that this industry. like the other i'm
portant industries of the south, is large
ly dependent upon the railroads for
reaching the interior cities Of the coun-
try to secure a market. With this large
proportion of its yellow pine output go
ing to Illinois. Kansas and other inland
states, railroad rates as now made based
not upon distance, but upon commercial
conditions of demand and supply are
necessity. they say. to the south.
Giving a government commission the
such an adjustment as the present, on
busiess basis, no longer possible.
They argue thus: To increase their
tonnage the railroads have made rates
on this long distance business to In
terror points that enables southern lum
Der to be sold there just as advantageous
ly as at points accessible by water routes.
That is, the railroads under present con-
ditions, from a selfish motive of securing
hue To 10 n
by water with advantage to the shipper,
enabling him to sell at the same price
In the distant interior as on the seacoast.
government body necessarily would
have to eliminate this consideration In
its decisions, because it has no interest
in increasing the tonnage of the roads
and could only apply rates based on rela-
tive distances.
John Craft Of Mobile, who has been
extensively interested in the lumber in
dustry in southern Alabama, attended
the recent convention of the National
Board of Trade here. In this connection
he said:
The railroads have made 1t possible
for us to reach the great markets of the
central states and the northwest. Until
they gave us low rates on this traffic
the industry did not prosper We lacked
markets. In fact, two-f1fths of our lum
Der formerly was burned up. Give the
Interstate Commerce commission the pow
err to fix rates as is proposed in such
measures as the Hepburn and Dolliver
bills, and we may expect that the COM
mission will fix rates on this business
on the basis of a certain amount per
mile. That would make 1t impossible for
us to sell lumber In these great interior
markets because the railroads to derive
any profit at all would have to fix the
mileage rate so high that 1t would be un-
profitable to ship lumber to any great
distance by railroad. Such result means
obstruction to the lumber business In the
south / believe that these i'll effects
may be prevented by the passage of
laws, such as outlined In the bill of
Senator Foraker, which practically leaves
the correction of unjust rates In the
hands OF the courts and does not grant
any wholesale rate-making power to a
government body. Under such plan
abuses will be corrected and dangerous
experiments In political rate-making will
be avoided"