Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-09-16
BOX FACTORY
PROPOSITION
Value Of the Enterprise Is
Made Clear By Letter from
MIR. Anderson

4 fruit growing in Lewiston valley was
suggested in an article which appeared
| in the Evening Teller last week and
| the matter has been the source of
considerable comment among growers
and others interested in the PROPOSE
ton. The following communication
| from L. r. Anderson is directly in point
in the discussion of the question and
throws much additional light on the
problem. Mr.. Anderson, in communi-
cation directed to the Evening Teller,
says:
/ your readers have undoubtedly
noted with interest your recent articles
regarding the production of fruits To-
cally this season and the amount of
box material necessary in getting the
product to market. / learn that your
reporter has taken pains to check the
information, and while few cars of
melons may be included the aggre-
gate number of cars may be relied on
as being accurate.
This statement is of value, especial
ly when taken into consideration with
the fact that at this moment, and
practically during the entire season,
there has been scarcity of boxes
here and elsewhere with which to
move the crops / can point out a
number of growers who are unable to
move their fruit on account of the
difficulty in getting box Shocks Ship
pers prefer to take the fruit already
packed, and when growers cannot get
box material the only recourse is to
sell the fruit for canning or drying
purposes.
Inquiry will reveal that the few
box factories in the Inland Empire
have been oYerworked this year on
large Eastern orders, and they are un-
able to turn out the material fast
enough to keep pace with the demand.
What few fruit shocks are arriving in
Lewiston are being shipped right out
again, and the back country is also
calling on us for assistance in this re-
gard. Shocks are being distributed
out in small quantities to such points
as Peck Orofino, Nezperce and other
Clearwater points, but it is impossible
to satisfy the demand I think it can
be said that a good deal of fruit from
the lewiston Charleston section will
not reach market this year solely on
account of insufficiency of box shocks
Attention is again called to the fact
that we have the largest body of this
material at our doors that exists in
this country. From now on the de-
mand for pine shocks is apt to be
more and more restricted to Idaho
and Washington pine On the coast
the box factories are now longer quot
ing pine shocks. They haven't it left,
and it Is too valuable for other pur-
poses They compel, fruit men, can
ners and others to use cedar, red fir
cottonwood and spruce The spruce
box, few years ago, was something
which the trade refused to accept.
also declined to accept spliced ends at
one time. but they are now glad to get
even them, and there is no difference
in the price, either
There are five box mills in the In
land Empire, and they are busy peo-
pie these days. At Spokane they made
orange and lemon boxes this year for
shipment to southern California-the
first time in the history of the bust
ness. Further than this, the California
pine box people need our pine and will
contract any surplus product and ship
it to Colorado and other points. where
our own mills should be selling direct.
The Gamers of the Central states are
apprehensive every year concerning
their supplies, and are looking to the
Northwest more and more. So are the
Standard Oil people, soap manufactur-
ers and others. How many have you.
and can we rely on a car or two cars
a week." is not an infrequent inquiry
"a box shook factory is certainly
legitimate manufacturing possibility
for Lewiston, and 1t should be encour-
aged by our merchants and business
men. The margin of profit, even at the
disadvantage of logging some distance.
can be readily shown. A box factory
does not so much depend on the fruit
production as one would think. Even
II 1t did, / might say that fruit as
ISOLATION in Washington recently made
inquiry here as to whether they could
get some 100000 boxes out of the
Clearwater section next year for their
various factories in western Washing
ton, where the coast boxes are not Civ
ing satisfaction.
Il venture to say if company were
formed to take over the Single mill in
this town and add few fixtures.
substantial profit would result from
running on shocks for Eastern ship
ment this fall and winter. and the en-
tire product could be contracted at