Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-03-01

Bay State Republicans Want Tariff
Revision-Governor Guilds Letter to
Roosevelt The Ubiquitous Lumber 4
Trust. ~>>-~>~>---->>--~>~->-
u Il r. II II II

OF lumber prices by the trust My
own judgment was and is that the
high tariff on white pine lumber is
the why and wherefore of the trust.
One of my most valued constituents,
Judge II. c. Lakeland of st. Charles,
Mo-, prominent lawyer and business
man, wrote me the following letter on
the subject, which is we'll worth con-
sideration. Judge Lakeland says:
ST. Charles Mo-. Feb. 15
Hon. Champ Clark, Washington
Dear Sir-I wish to call your attention
to the iniquities of the lumber monopoly
In these United States, nurtured by the
tariff. AS you know, the whole lumber
business is in the hands of trust COM
posed of a few thousand men, which
leVies tribute on and Expresses and de-
frauds eighty millions of people without
any corresponding benefit whatever This
syndicate or trust has got possession of
all the timber lands and sawmills of the
country, and it dictates the prices of
lumber to the whole country. There used
to be few Independent mills, but they
have all been compelled to come into the
trust, and every bill of lumber ordered by
any retail dealer from supposed inde-
pendent mill is sent to one general office
and the order is filed from that office and
the money collected by 1t. Every once in
awhile this trust raises the price of lum-
Der. Last January 1t raised the price Of
the retailers 50 a thousand: last week it
raised the price again another rs cents
and 81 thousand The orders for a raise
OF price are given to the retailer and he
Is obliged to obey at his peril
But worst of all, they swindle, defraud
and cheat the purchasers and users OF
lumber in most shameful manner For
instance, you are going to build a home,
" Sp11 MT IN, hill 10
taller for certain number of by 4
studding of the desired length, a certain
number of by IL joist and a certain
number of feet of plank i by 10 OF any
desired length. Instead of giving you the
dimensions your order calls for, they
will give you studding ~ by s1k ard
1oist " by 111s, or even II, and plank
u by or 9h. and so on. No matter what
dimensions you order. the lumber is cut
down in dimensions from half an inch to
one inch on all sides, and you are measur-
ed up and charged just as If you got full
dimensions. If you do not take it that
way, you cannot get 1t at all. The mills
make in several ways by this method
They make all they cheat you out of in
the dimensions which is a great DEAL
They can make more lumber out of log
In saving it up. and they can carry more
in a car from the mill to the retailer and.
lastly. they shave n very thin skin off
ONE side of each piece of lumber (Which
| is no advantage to 1t whatever) and use
| the shavings under the boilers for steam
| Thus you see this trust is not satisfied
| with the monopoly of the lumber business
| in this big country and the big prices
| they make the people pay, but they swim
die and cheat and defraud them in the
measurements in a most shameful man.
ner I know whereof / am speaking, for
have been compelled to buy a great deal
of lumber for many years.
II anything deserves to be investigated
by congress. it is this swindllng cheating
lumber trust.
The bar of the tariff on lumber ought
TO be thrown down so that it can come
In from all the world. Very respectfully.
II. C. LAKELAND.
p. S.-The price of lumber has become
almost prohbitive