The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-08
LUMDERMEh WILL
FIGHT INCREASE
Western Manufacturers Give
$250,000 to Prevent Rail-
roads Increasing Rates.
SERIOUS CLASH EXPECTED
LOCAL WHOLESALERS TAKE Or
DERS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

Freight rates on lumber shipped over
| the railroads of the great northwest
and California will not be raised 20 and
% per cent on Oct. 1 by the railway
companies, a has been announced by
the officials of the latter, without a
| fight, and a big one, from ali indica-
lions.
The manufacturing lumbermen of the
Pacific coast backed by the men at the
| head of the numerous industries de-
pendent on them in both the west and
the intermountain country have raised
a fund of $250.000 with which to fight
the proposed freight rate increase and
a big corps of attorneys has been re-
tanned to take the matter before the
interstate commerce commission.
Such is the information that reached
local lumbermon yesterday, and which
has given them more confidence in the
| local and foreign situation than they
have had for weeks past.
Local wholesalers and jObbers have
| issued notices to their customers that
until the matter of the increased
freight rates has been settled one way
or another, all orders for lumber will
be accepted subject to the freight rates
at time of delivery.
The railroad companies have formal
o -
western and Pacific states, including
California that on Oct. 1 freight rates
/ on lumber will be advanced by them
/ 20 and % per cent, depending on the
! locality and haul. As outlined in The
Herald some weeks ago, the increase has
been expected all summer.
Plenty of Cars.
A peculiar, but extremely healthy
situation has developed in the local
lumber market as a result of the an
nOuncement of the proposed raise in
rates. Yardmen and wholesalers are
laying in Dig stocks of lumber, with
the big jobs about town moving ahead
better than they have for months, as
far as lumber is concerned. The lum-
bermen are getting an abundance Of
cars and with the prospect of higher
prices within sixty days the local deal
ers are getting III everything the Ore
gOn mills will give them.
The move for fight against the in
| stitution of the proposed higher freight
rates on lumber was inaugurated
among the manufacturers of the north
west two months ago when the in
formation of the intended raise first
leaked out. When the formal an
nouncement came few days ago the
lumbermen were ready for it, A meet
tuS Was Cdlltu DIT IdGOtild. WASH. anu
ten minutes after the session was
brought to order 100000 had been
| pledged in cash toward a fund to car
~ the case before the interstate COM
merce commission, and before the
| United States supreme court later, if
necessary. For the past ten days
agents have been working among the
big lumbermen of the coast states and
the intermOuntain country, and the
fight fund has been sweIIed to $3.50 600
Trying to Scare Roads.
The lumbermen say they will ad-
vance that much more before they will
stand for the proposed increase in
freight rates. The prevailing belief
among the lumbermen who have kept
closely in touch with the railroad end
of the matter is that the advanced
rates will never be put into effect, that
the roads will not dare try it.
! With plenty of cars and large stocks
at the western mills prices of lumber
in Salt Lake to the consumer would
advance between 81 and 81 a thousand
feet should the increased rates be put
into the tariffs. In other sections of
the middle west and further east where
the car situation is not so good, the
Continued on Page 2.