The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-06-08

of 10 cents a hundred from Ia
coma to Portland. so that it costs the
lumber manufacturers of eastern
Washington 10 cents a hundred to get
his carload of lumber hauled to Port
land over the Northern Pacific, the ex-
pense of unloading. rehandling and re-
loading. and 40 cents more a hundred
to get it to Salt Lake.
Competition impossible.
Such an expense makes competition
with the lumber manufacturers of east
ern Oregon impossible, for the latter can
get their lumber TO Salt Lake for the
expense of one handling, that of the
original loading, and for 40 cents
hundred for the haul. That's why there
is practically just one market for the
lumbermen of the intermountain coun-
try TO buy in, and it is why prices are
so high and lumber is so scarce in Salt
Lake today
Hills object in refusing to make a
dicker with Hartman whereby a car
of lumber could be loaded at Tacoma
a certain price per hundred paid on it
as a freight charge, and that car hauled
down to Portland, switched onto Har-
riman train coming TO Salt Lake and
be brought in here without being
touched, is obvious.
the rest of the great northwest tapped
by the Northern Pacific are fairly eat
ing UP lumber these days. By making
it impossible for the lumber dealers of
eastern Washington to send their prod
uce to Salt Lake and the intermountain
country, and from here east there is
only one other big market open, the
northwest. and that means that the Hill
read gets the hauling of the lumber
e-I,sv
clear through to the Twin Cities.
This is the situation that has con-
frOnted the lumber manufacturers of
eastern Washington for the past few
years. The past year it has become
acute. Four hundred mills are closed
and %, 600 acres of lumber cannot be
moved to market because Hill cannot
haul the cars. The west and the in
termountain country is crying for lum-
her and for lower prices. Hartman
says he has tried toFget Hill to agree
to a joint rate from Tacoma to Salt
Lake, and to an arrar gement whereby
lumber shipments may be routed
straight through without being rehan-
died and reloaded at Portland.
Mr.. Hartman says Mr.. Hill won't
listen to him, and so three months ago
the manufacturers of eastern Washing
ton went quietly to W ,rk and laid the
matter before the interstate commerce
commission, asking the latter to force
the two magndtes to get together and.
put in the joint rate and the through
routing system. Presidents Hill and
Hartman now declare the commission
hasn't any right TO force them to do
anything of the kind. The commission,
however. has called hearing on the
proposition for June II in Washington,
d. c.
Salt Lake Position.
This is where the Salt Lake dealers
get into the game. President Merrill
received frantic wire yesterday morn
ing from eastern Washington, asking
him TO hurry TO Washington. and on
behalf of the western retail lumbermen
plead with the commission for the en-
forcement of the petition of the Wash
ington men. President Merrill left at
noon yesterday.
There is little question but that west
eTn retail lumbermen are in favor of
the joint rate and through routing
proposition, for such an ARRANGEMENT
VIII immediately do away with the re-
stricted market they are now buying
from and viii bring the eastern Wash
iugton and eastern Oregon manufac- !
turers into competition, and this is
bound to- result in lower prices. as the
latter district as mas already been
said, is one Of the finest lumber manu-
featuring centers Of the country.
With the wholesalers IL is little diff
ferent here. At present the wholesale
lumbermen of Salt Lake and vicinity
have TO compete only with the whole |
sale men of the Portland, Ore. district. |
Portland is the only market they have |
10 watch. With the joint rate in and |
the through routing arrangement, the |
great eastern Washington district will |
be thrown open and the wholesale |
houses of that section will enter the |
race with the Portland and Salt Lake |
for the western inter- |
trade. Again, lower prices. |
as result of competition, looms up be- |
fore the consumer.
President Merrill is a wholesaler and |
yet he heads the western retailers. He
explained the situation as set forth
above yesterday before leaving for |
Il shall certainly argue /
for the joint rate and the through rout-
Ing he said. in leaving.
Lumbermen say that the move will |
but forestall by a year or more a /
change that must ultimately come. for /
Hartman is paralleling the Northern |
Pacific from Portland to Tacoma, and |
when the new line is finished the one /
rate and through routing would come |
anyway, so that the wholesalers are |
TIE inevitable and, with the |
retailers, welcome any move that will /
force the joint rate and the /