Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-09-20
Exorbitant Freight Rates From
Puget Sound Country Respon-
sible For Present Prices
FREIGHT EQUALS FIRST COST
Rates to Middle West Almost as Great
as Price at tho MiIls-New Rates
Will Add Over So to the Price Per
Thousand Feet-Competition is
ThrottIed.

Spokane, Wash, Sept. 20.-1nvesti-
cations by commission of the bu-
reau of corporations of the United
States department of commerce have
disclosed the fact that to excessive
freight rates from Puget Sound and
the Spokane country to points in the
middle western, eastern and southern
states is directly traceable the present
high price of lumber, also that the
freight charges by railroads greatly
exceed the first cost Of the lumber.
The commission is acting under IN
structions of resolution adopted by
the last congress, and the results OF
west are surprising.
9Fhe Hill and Hartman lines, whose
net earnings last year nearly equalled
their operating expenses, have, IL Is
shown, compelled the people to pay
exorbitant prices for building mate
rial and totally ignoring all appeals
of the lumber men for even a slight
reduction in freight rates in the inter-
est of stimulating trade. These APP
peals have been frequent and have IN
variably been turned down, and. to
add still further to the burdens OF the
people, these roads have announced
another increase in rates OF ~ cents
the 100 pounds, effective October !,
which will add $3.50 per 1000 feet TO
the cost of lumber in all the territory
east OF the Rocky mountains, except
ingtf Nebraska and Kansas, where the
additional rate and consequent in
crease in cost of lumber will be about
s per cent This latest grip upon the
pocketbooks of the public Is based on
the assertion that the haul of empty
cars is proving expensive to the rail-
roads.
New Rates Affect Poor.
Under the new rates the additional
cost of construction of an ordinary
house in the eastern, middle western
and northwestern states will be $66,
because the lumbermen of the Pacinc
states are not in q position to absorb
the raise in rates.
washington, Oregon, Idaho. Califor-
MIA and Montana contain OO,OO0,000,-
900 feet of standing timber, or enough
to construct 45,0O0,000 houses, and suf-
ficient to care for the wants of the en-
tire United States for period OF
twenty-five wears. The five states
contain over 1000 saw and single
mills, employing 10000 persons, and
payroll of approximately $135,O00,0oV
a year, and of these 400 are in the
Spokane country. Last year these
states shipped by rail 100000 tons
Of lumber, on which the freight charges
were not far from s150,00o,000.
The entire operating expenses OF
the Northern Pacific are paid by the
lumbermen of the state Of Washington
alone, and the most profitable business
of all the transcontinental lines Is this
same lumber haul. Were it not for the
forests on the Pacific coast the entire
traffic of all the lines could be handled
by one road.
Mill and Freight Charges.
The cost of producing this lumber at
the present time is 1880 per 1000
feet, and the average selling price is
about SIS per 1000 feet at the mill.
Freight charges are so high that In
many cases the original selling price
Of lumber is exceeded. For example,
rough lumber weighs $500 pounds per
1000 feet, and by adding the freight
charges can be ascertained the delfv-
cred price per 1000 feet at the follow
ing points: